Jakarta, NU Online
Indonesian Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudoyono (SBY) expected all elements endorsing Indonesia’s basic law to be returned to the 1945 Constitution not to proposed through Presidential Decree. For him, it’s not appropriate to the constitutional.
"There is no such an article mentioning that a president can issue a decree to constitution amendment. This is fundamental,” the president said at the State Palace, Thursday (6/7).
<>The raising statement above he delivered following elements commanded by the former President KH Abdurrahman Wahid while attending at a 1959 Presidential Decree commemoration yesterday. Gus Dur at that time insisted the amended constitution to be immediately returned through Presidential Decree.
SBY said that within the recent constitution, its article three mentions that the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) has the authority to set up constitution, not president. “This is not a matter of courage or not, it should refer to the existing constitutional mechanism,” SBY said.
Dealing with the willingness to back to the 45 constitution, the president said that it should be handed over to the people in accordance with the recent obstacles and along with the right procedure.
“The Constitution is not a religious sacred book, so it can be changed along with the era’s developments. Yet the expected changes should be willingness of ours,” SBY added. (nam)
