Should the Muslim President become a constitutional convention in Indonesia? Based on constitutional debates about Islam and state, and the constitutional practice

AbstractSince Soekarno to Joko Widodo, all of Indonesia’s presidents have been Muslims. This practice is based on Dicey’s theory of constitutional conventions, i.e. rules of conduct that can persist over time and gradually gain persuasive power before becoming mandatory. Is this a reasonable assumpt...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mei Susanto, Susi Dwi Harijanti, Hamdan Zoelva, Ali Abdurahman
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2023-12-01
Series:Cogent Social Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311886.2023.2196815
_version_ 1797198266973028352
author Mei Susanto
Susi Dwi Harijanti
Hamdan Zoelva
Ali Abdurahman
author_facet Mei Susanto
Susi Dwi Harijanti
Hamdan Zoelva
Ali Abdurahman
author_sort Mei Susanto
collection DOAJ
description AbstractSince Soekarno to Joko Widodo, all of Indonesia’s presidents have been Muslims. This practice is based on Dicey’s theory of constitutional conventions, i.e. rules of conduct that can persist over time and gradually gain persuasive power before becoming mandatory. Is this a reasonable assumption? Furthermore, should a Muslim President be a constitutional convention? This article employs socio-legal studies in the form of law in context, a historical approach to the constitution-making debate and a practical approach to Indonesian political reality. The study’s findings indicate that having a Muslim President as a constitutional convention is appropriate not only in terms of long-standing customs and practices but also as a resolution to the constitutional debate on Islam and the state, particularly the religious requirements for the President. As a constitutional convention, the Muslim President is not the law in the strict sense that it is binding and enforceable in court. Instead, it is a positive morality, ethics, and comprehension that serves as a moral guide for state officials and politicians. The Constitutional Convention in the form of a Muslim President, as well as the appointment of state offices taking religious proportionality into account, is an informal accommodation in the division of power in the design of the Indonesian constitutional system that takes into account the factors of Indonesia’s plural and potentially divided society. As a result, the convention improves Indonesia’s integration function.
first_indexed 2024-03-12T16:47:07Z
format Article
id doaj.art-fbc20c40ea494385831b6d36306b8e84
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2331-1886
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-24T06:57:08Z
publishDate 2023-12-01
publisher Taylor & Francis Group
record_format Article
series Cogent Social Sciences
spelling doaj.art-fbc20c40ea494385831b6d36306b8e842024-04-22T10:42:49ZengTaylor & Francis GroupCogent Social Sciences2331-18862023-12-019110.1080/23311886.2023.2196815Should the Muslim President become a constitutional convention in Indonesia? Based on constitutional debates about Islam and state, and the constitutional practiceMei Susanto0Susi Dwi Harijanti1Hamdan Zoelva2Ali Abdurahman3Constitutional Law Department, Faculty of Law, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, IndonesiaConstitutional Law Department, Faculty of Law, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, IndonesiaFaculty of Law, Universitas Islam As-Syafi’iyah, Jakarta, IndonesiaConstitutional Law Department, Faculty of Law, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, IndonesiaAbstractSince Soekarno to Joko Widodo, all of Indonesia’s presidents have been Muslims. This practice is based on Dicey’s theory of constitutional conventions, i.e. rules of conduct that can persist over time and gradually gain persuasive power before becoming mandatory. Is this a reasonable assumption? Furthermore, should a Muslim President be a constitutional convention? This article employs socio-legal studies in the form of law in context, a historical approach to the constitution-making debate and a practical approach to Indonesian political reality. The study’s findings indicate that having a Muslim President as a constitutional convention is appropriate not only in terms of long-standing customs and practices but also as a resolution to the constitutional debate on Islam and the state, particularly the religious requirements for the President. As a constitutional convention, the Muslim President is not the law in the strict sense that it is binding and enforceable in court. Instead, it is a positive morality, ethics, and comprehension that serves as a moral guide for state officials and politicians. The Constitutional Convention in the form of a Muslim President, as well as the appointment of state offices taking religious proportionality into account, is an informal accommodation in the division of power in the design of the Indonesian constitutional system that takes into account the factors of Indonesia’s plural and potentially divided society. As a result, the convention improves Indonesia’s integration function.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311886.2023.2196815Constitutional conventiondemocracy in plural societiesIndonesian constitutional systemIslam and stateMuslim Presidentpresidential requirements
spellingShingle Mei Susanto
Susi Dwi Harijanti
Hamdan Zoelva
Ali Abdurahman
Should the Muslim President become a constitutional convention in Indonesia? Based on constitutional debates about Islam and state, and the constitutional practice
Cogent Social Sciences
Constitutional convention
democracy in plural societies
Indonesian constitutional system
Islam and state
Muslim President
presidential requirements
title Should the Muslim President become a constitutional convention in Indonesia? Based on constitutional debates about Islam and state, and the constitutional practice
title_full Should the Muslim President become a constitutional convention in Indonesia? Based on constitutional debates about Islam and state, and the constitutional practice
title_fullStr Should the Muslim President become a constitutional convention in Indonesia? Based on constitutional debates about Islam and state, and the constitutional practice
title_full_unstemmed Should the Muslim President become a constitutional convention in Indonesia? Based on constitutional debates about Islam and state, and the constitutional practice
title_short Should the Muslim President become a constitutional convention in Indonesia? Based on constitutional debates about Islam and state, and the constitutional practice
title_sort should the muslim president become a constitutional convention in indonesia based on constitutional debates about islam and state and the constitutional practice
topic Constitutional convention
democracy in plural societies
Indonesian constitutional system
Islam and state
Muslim President
presidential requirements
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311886.2023.2196815
work_keys_str_mv AT meisusanto shouldthemuslimpresidentbecomeaconstitutionalconventioninindonesiabasedonconstitutionaldebatesaboutislamandstateandtheconstitutionalpractice
AT susidwiharijanti shouldthemuslimpresidentbecomeaconstitutionalconventioninindonesiabasedonconstitutionaldebatesaboutislamandstateandtheconstitutionalpractice
AT hamdanzoelva shouldthemuslimpresidentbecomeaconstitutionalconventioninindonesiabasedonconstitutionaldebatesaboutislamandstateandtheconstitutionalpractice
AT aliabdurahman shouldthemuslimpresidentbecomeaconstitutionalconventioninindonesiabasedonconstitutionaldebatesaboutislamandstateandtheconstitutionalpractice