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President of Indonesian Constitutional Court (MKRI) on Delegation Journey to Germany
Dr. Ulrich Klingshirn (AM), Prof.Dr. Mohammad Mahfud,
Dr. h.c. mult. Hans Zehetmair, Christian Hegemer
The President of the Indonesian Constitutional Court, Prof. Dr. Mohammad Mahfud, was on an information journey together with Indonesian Constitutional Judges and legal scientists to Karlsruhe, Heidelberg and Munich from 30 November - 05 December 2009. This visit can be regarded as a further milestone in the cooperation between Germany and Indonesia in the field of jurisdiction. Moreover, the visit contributed to the long-lasting friendship between the Hanns-Seidel Foundation and the Indonesian Constitutional Court.
The former Indonesian President B.J. Habibie included the Hanns-Seidel Foundation in discussions about the reform of the Indonesian Constitutional Law at a very early stage. The cooperation was conducive to the establishment of the Indonesian Constitutional Court in 2003. Since then, the reputation of the Indonesian Constitutional Court as a guarantor of the democratic process in the world’s biggest Muslim country is growing continuously.
The chairman of Hanns-Seidel Foundation, Dr. h.c. mult. Zehetmair, underlined these points during his address of welcome. Furthermore, he proposed to support young Indonesian legal scientists and judges by giving them the possibility to attend further studies at Bavarian universities. The President of the Indonesian Constitutional Court expressed his appreciation for the long-lasting and good working cooperation with the Hanns-Seidel Foundation and was looking forward to an even more intensive knowledge exchange between law faculties of both countries.
In the context of this cooperation the approved program is planned to be continued in the next years. Christian Hegemer, Head of Institute for International Contact and Co-operation and former Director of Hanns-Seidel Foundation Indonesia, initially started and developed this program, including expert workshops and public discussions about the interpretation of decisions by the Constitutional Court. The events mainly address representatives of local parliaments and law students to enhance the general judicial understanding. Moreover, a dialogue focusing on judicial topics with German experts for constitutional law is conducted in Indonesia. Especially the lecture series of the Constitutional Judge and honorary doctor of the Islamic University in Yogyakarta, Prof. Dr. Bross, mark a key element in the cooperation. Besides that, information journeys to Europe are regularly carried out with Indonesian constitutional judges to enhance the judicial dialogue with colleagues in Karlsruhe, Munich and Strasbourg.
At the Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe the delegation met with the President of the German Constitutional Court (BVG), Prof. Papier, judges of the Constitutional Court and Higher Courts as well as with representatives of the Federal Prosecutor General’s office for further information exchange. Discussed topics mainly focused on the competency of the Constitutional Court, federal legal system and different types of constitutional complaint.
In Heidelberg, the delegation visited the Max-Planck Institute (MPIL) for Comparative Public Law and International Law. Director Prof. v. Bogdandy appreciated a scientific exchange with Indonesia and presented current main research and international cooperation in countries like Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia.
