THE DYNAMICS OF INDONESIA'S CONSTITUTIONAL SYSTEM: A HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS (1945–2002)
Keywords:
Constitution, Amendments, Distribution of Power, Reform.Abstract
This study aims to analyze the dynamics of Indonesia's constitutional system through a historical review of constitutional changes during the 1945–2002 period and their implications for the distribution of state power. The constitution is conceptualized as a social contract and the supreme instrument for regulating and limiting power to prevent absolutism. However, history demonstrates that Indonesian constitutional practice has experienced extreme centralization of power, particularly during the eras of Guided Democracy and the New Order, where the mechanisms of checks and balances suffered systemic paralysis due to executive dominance (executive heavy). The research methodology employed is normative legal research utilizing historical, legislative, and conceptual approaches. The results indicate that the amendments to the 1945 Constitution (1999–2002) served as a momentum for a total correction of the governmental system toward a more democratic and accountable order. A fundamental implication of this transformation is a more proportional redistribution of power through the strengthening of the legislative function (DPR), the independence of the judiciary marked by the establishment of the Constitutional Court, and a shift in supremacy from the MPR toward the supremacy of the constitution. These changes strategically close the avenues for the resurgence of authoritarian practices and guarantee the protection of human rights within the framework of a modern constitutional state (rechtsstaat)
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Copyright (c) 2026 Miftah Rezki Amalia, Valen Glentino Moncai, Levidimas Kusuma Admaja, Moh. Rosyidin, Amri Amri (Author)
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