Constitutional Court Judge Saldi Isra: I'm Worried That The Court Will Spread Himself In Politics

Constitutional Court Judge Saldi Isra/DOK ANTARA

JAKARTA - Constitutional Court (MK) Judge Saldi Isra expressed his dissenting opinion or dissent regarding the MK's obscenity for judicial reviews regarding the age limit for presidential and vice presidential candidates proposed by a student from Surakarta named Almas Tsaibirru Re A.

Saldi regretted the Constitutional Court's decision to partially grant the lawsuit regarding the age limit for presidential and vice-presidential candidates aged at least 40 years or experienced as regional heads, both at the provincial and district/city levels.

Regional heads who are under 40 years old can now become presidential and vice-presidential candidates. Meanwhile, in three cases regarding the previous presidential and vice presidential age limit, the Constitutional Court refused to grant it.

Saldi admitted that he was worried that the change in the attitude of the Constitutional Court was greatly influenced by the political dynamics and was contrary to the independence of the judges.

"I am very, very worried and worried that the Court is actually trapping itself in a political vortex in cutting off various political requests that will undermine public trust and legitimacy in the Court," said Saldi in the Court building courtroom, Monday, October 16.

Saldi assessed that the changes or additions to the requirements for presidential and vice presidential candidates should be carried out through a mechanism for revising the law, not throwing this "hot ball" at the Court.

"Unfortunately, this simple and clear nature of the opened legal policy has been taken over and used as a 'political burden' by the Court to decide it," he said.

Apart from Saldi Isra, Constitutional Justices who expressed dissenting opinions were Wahiduddin Adams, Arief Hidayat, and Suhartoyo.

Then, the five judges who agreed that the case would be granted were Anwar Usman, Manahan Sitompul, Enny Nurbaningsih, Daniel Yusmic, and Guntur Hamzah. Of the five, two judges at the Constitutional Court presented different reasons or concurring opinions.