In the last five years, Indonesia has been a country in transition – a
transition from a country governed by power to a country that is to be
governed by the rule of law. This period of transition has seen Indonesia
experience tremendous levels of law reform. This reform has been notably
for many reasons, as the process has not only involved the reform of
substantive laws but also the reform of both the legal institutions
themselves and the legal professions that support it as well as the
community that will ultimately benefit from greater legal knowledge of
the system.
The reform process and the changes that it has facilitated means that much
of the information on the Indonesian legal system, particularly in English,
is outdated and in many cases obsolete. A mere five years ago the
Constitutional Court did not exist let alone being the primary guardian of
the Constitution. Therefore, the need to update Indonesian legal resources
to reflect the reforms is matched by an equivalent need to update the
English language information sources regarding Indonesian law. The law
reform programs have had an affect on almost all institutions of the
Indonesian judiciary and the Supreme Court is no exception having
undergone significant reform as a result if the introduction of the one roof
system. The introduction of the one roof system has seen the Supreme
Court gain greater independence and responsibility for the administration
of justice through the judicial system, as a result of the transfer of
responsibility from the Department of Justice to the Supreme Court in
2004.
