Remarks of President of the Republic of Indonesia during the Opening of 5th Congress of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice (WCCJ), at Nusa Dua, Bali Province, October 5, 2022
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.
Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,
May peace be upon us all,
Om swastiastu.
Distinguished Chief and Deputy Chief of Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia, as well as Constitutional Justices;
Honorable President Emeritus, Special Representative of the Venice Commission Mr. Gianni Buquicchio;
Distinguished Ministers, Governor of Bali, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and equivalent constitutional courts, members of WCCJ;
Distinguished Heads of State Institutions and members;
Distinguished academics, observers, and all congress participants;
Ladies and Gentlemen.
I understand the importance of your role, Honorable Constitutional Court Justices in the life of the nation. The Constitutional Court is the main pillar in upholding constitutional justice, which is a key element of democracy, protection of human rights, and legal certainty.
Nevertheless, the duties of you, Honorable Constitutional Court Justices, as well as our collective duties are currently getting harder and harder. In addition to upholding constitutional justice, all countries around the globe today have to deal with several crises. The pandemic is not completely over, the world economy has not fully recovered, and the world has been shocked again by the war between Russia and Ukraine that has disrupted global trade supply chains. Food, energy, and financial crises are unavoidable.
I am sure the 119 countries that are present at this conference will also have to struggle with the similar problems; how to deal with the food, energy, and financial crises. The crises, sparked by the pandemic and then exacerbated by the Russian-Ukrainian war, seem hopeless for an end soon. The COVID-19 pandemic is indeed starting to subside but we must remain vigilant. However, the Russian-Ukrainian war and their allies show no signs of stopping soon.
Prolonged war will result in a continuous world crisis. Indeed, we want the war to stop immediately and peace to be established. That is what we all hope for. We must work together to stop war and build peace. Nevertheless, we must also be prepared to mitigate and manage the crises as well as possible. In other words, in addition to fighting for constitutional justice which is a key element of democracy, protection of human rights, and legal certainty, each country must be struggling hard to deal with food, energy, and financial crises, each country must be looking for a synergy between constitutional justice and crisis management.
Distinguished Constitutional Court Justices,
I hope that the conference will become a forum for exchanging ideas and experiences. I hope that there are cross-country joint measures to build peace, deal with crises, and uphold constitutional justice.
Amid the growing rivalry among countries, be it in military and economic sectors, we must strengthen friendship and cooperation between countries. We must collaborate more to achieve world stability, peace, and prosperity. We must expand cooperation, both in bilateral and multilateral contexts. We must continue to build companionship and solidarity with concrete steps and tangible results.
That concludes my remarks.
And by saying bismillahirrahmanirrahim, tonight I hereby open the 5th Congress of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice.
I thank you.
Wassalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh. (GWH/MMB)