Remarks of President of the Republic of Indonesia at the Special Session of the 2023 Annual Report of the Supreme Court, Jakarta Convention Center, Special Capital Region of Jakarta, February 20, 2024

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.
Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

Good morning,
May peace be upon us all.
Om swastiastu.
Namo Buddhaya.
Greetings of Virtue.

Distinguished heads of state institutions;

Distinguished Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Prof. Dr. H. Muhammad Syarifuddin, S.H., M.H, and supreme judges and ad-hoc judges;

Distinguished Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Friendly Countries; Chief Justice of Singapore, Chief Justice of Malaysia, Chief Justice of Kuwait, Deputy Chief Justice of Qatar, and all delegates from Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Australia, China, and Russia;

Distinguished Ministers of Onward Indonesian Cabinet, Attorney General, Indonesian National Defense Forces Commander and National Police Chief;

Honorable Excellencies Ambassadors of Friendly Countries;

Distinguished Honorable Retired Heads of the Supreme Court, Supreme Court Judges, Appellate Judges and Judges of First Instance across Indonesia, chancellors and leaders of universities;

Ladies and Gentlemen.

First and foremost, I would like to express my appreciation for the innovations carried out by the Supreme Court as an effort to accelerate legal transformation in the country, which are an important part of strengthening the rule of law and good governance. Public expectations of judicial institutions are increasingly high. The people demand guarantees of justice. They are increasingly critical of the judicial process and more open in expressing their opinions. Amid these challenges, integrity is the main pillar, not only for Supreme Court Justices but to all judges in Indonesia, as well as all clerks, state civil apparatus, and Supreme Court employees.

The Supreme Court will definitely be a reference, become a role model for judges, across Indonesia and a hope for justice for society. Therefore, I welcome the internal reforms carried out by the Supreme Court to uphold the principles of the rule of law and good governance, improving the court’s performance in a sustainable manner. The quality of the judge’s human capital is key, be it integrity, professionalism, sensitivity to society’s sense of justice and current developments, including developments in science and technology. Therefore, innovation must be a part of reform, by adopting not only new technology but also perspective and sensitivity in resolving legal cases, including implementing a restorative justice system as a breakthrough in resolving cases.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Government appreciates the Supreme Court’s innovations in encouraging the acceleration of legal transformation, increasing the use of the e-court system, developing an artificial intelligence-based decision support system (DSS) which will facilitate the consistency of decisions referring to previous fair decisions. The people of Indonesia also appreciate the commitment to transparency due to 22 thousand decisions that have been published in the decision directory which can be accessed by the public. I received a report that in 2023, the Supreme Court was successful in deciding up to 99.47 percent of cases, this is a very, very good development.

Nevertheless, it is not only the quantity of decisions that is important. The most important thing is the quality of the decisions; court decisions must provide a sense of justice, provide legal certainty and support the development of the nation and state towards an advanced Indonesia. The quality of the decision is paramount. The Court decision must provide a sense of justice, provide legal certainty, and support the development of the nation and state towards an Advanced Indonesia. I really hope the reform of legal system will be an important part of the progress of our nation, Indonesia. Once again, providing a sense of justice, legal certainty and good governance, saving state assets, improving welfare of the people, especially the lower classes as well as bringing Indonesia up to become a high-income country.

That concludes my speech on this auspicious occasion.

I thank you,

Wassalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

(GWH/LW)