The Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Business Universitas Airlangga held a Guest Lecture with the topic "Constitutional Law and the Dynamics of Political Economic Development in Indonesia" on September 23, 2021. In the event, the material was delivered by the resource person, Mr. Herlambang P. Wiratraman, Ph.D., who is also a Lecturer at the Faculty of Law, Universitas Airlangga, and moderated by Dr. Ni Made Sukartini, SE, M.Si. MIDEC, who is also a Lecturer at the Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Business Universitas Airlangga.
Presentation session by Herlambang P. Wiratraman, Ph.D, at the Guest Lecture of the Department of Economics, FEB UNAIR
on Thursday afternoon, September 23, 2021. (Photo: SS Zoom).
The speaker employed a political economy approach in discussing constitutional law. The studies were linked to the realities of the development of legal thought, within an interdisciplinary field of study called PEL (Political Economy of Law).
The development of state administration in the context of democratic decline. This is evident from several indicators used to determine whether democracy is in decline, one of which is output . The essence of constitutional law is to revitalize democracy to protect citizens' rights, including social, political, and economic rights, which are ultimately interpreted as contributing to the well-being of the nation.
"Democracy isn't just a five-yearly general election, but rather the essence of providing democratic space that not only protects citizens but also provides protection and welfare from a constitutional law perspective, thus conferring socio-economic or welfare benefits. This is what is known as illiberal democracy , which grows and develops within a constitutional system and laws," said Herlambang, Ph.D.
valuation also plays a role in constitutional law, impacting not only socio-humanitarian issues but also ecological ones. This is due to the environmental damage caused by the plundering of natural resources, which, when calculated in economic terms, has a far greater impact.
Herlambang Ph.D. also stated that, "A country may have a written constitution, similar to a state system, but in actual politics and policies , it actually adds to problems rather than solving them. This is known as the downfall of the constitution and the rise of a shadow government."
The speaker then emphasized that policymakers must be firm in their stance against policies that harm the environment and violate people's rights. This concept aligns with that put forward by Yuki Fukoka in his concept titled "The Deep State," regarding the potential democratic situation in Indonesia.
Furthermore, the speaker also discussed the application of constitutional law in institutions such as the problem of international amnesty, political cartelization and continued with a discussion on "authoritarianism".
The presentation was followed by a question-and-answer session. Participants received numerous questions, particularly regarding reflections on the dynamics of political and economic development in Indonesia.
The complete recording of the guest lecture can be seen at the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WEUtHSqQpg&t=174s
Author: Mohammad Ichsan Verianto