Constitutional amendments not forbidden in Indonesia: VP Amin

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Vice President Ma'ruf Amin has affirmed that efforts to improve or perfect the 1945 Constitution are not unconstitutional since the Indonesian nation has borne witness to four constitutional amendments.

"This means that changes have been made before; they are not forbidden. It is just a matter of momentum," he remarked after attending an event commemorating National Constitution Day at the Parliamentary Complex in Jakarta on Sunday.

Amin quoted Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Bambang Soesatyo as saying that plenty of members of the public had been pushing for transforming the Constitution into a more responsive legal instrument.

On that note, the vice president underlined the importance of involving a broader population before making another amendment to the Constitution.

He then called on the MPR to continue to focus on its duty to disseminate the four national pillars of Indonesia to more people, as he believes that some people have yet to fully comprehend their national constitution.

The four national pillars refer to the national ideology of Pancasila, the 1945 Constitution, the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia, and the national motto of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika or Unity in Diversity.

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Meanwhile, MPR's Soesatyo noted that there's a strong push from parts of the nation that demand that the MPR re-evaluate the Constitution while noting that the 2019-2024 MPR would not have enough time to make an amendment.

The lawmaker, however, confirmed that the current MPR had already prepared an amendment draft, which seeks to make improvements to the 1945 Constitution.

"We will delegate this matter to the MPR of the next period," said the former speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR).