HONGKONG, MKRI - As the permanent secretariat for planning and coordination of AACC, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia (MKRI) visited the Hight Court of Hong Kong, Thursday afternoon, September 9, 2023. The MKRI delegation was received by Chief Justice Jeremy Poon, Justice Au, and Justice Tony Poon. The head of delegation of MKRI, Constitutional Justice Arief explained that modern judiciary must be able to provide the widest access to justice seekers, share its decisions to the public, and share its experiences with other courts abroad.

In the follow-up discussion, the MKRI delegation explained the MKRI’s contribution in global forums, especially the World Conference on Constitutional Justice (WCCJ) and the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions (AACC). Justice Arief said WCCJ and AACC members had a lot of trust in the MKRI. In 2022, the MKRI was trusted with hosting the WCCJ’s fifth congress, which was attended by 98 member countries—the highest number of participants compared to previous congresses.

Justice Arief also discussed the MKRI’s achievements in Asia. In addition to serving as one of the AACC’s permanent secretariats, it has been entrusted with the longest AACC presidency for three years in 2014-2017. “At the time, Indonesia was considered successful and needed more achievements, so at the AACC congress in 2016, we were given an additional mandate of one year of presidency,” he said.

Concluding his statement, he stressed his desire to maintain the positive relations that the MKRI had recently developed with the High Court of Hong Kong. He also invited the High Court to learn about and participate in future AACC events.

Chief Justice Poon positively welcomed the MKRI’s wishes. He remarked that the High Court of Hong Kong is eager to collaborate with various international partners. He highlighted that, for example, the High Court is also active in various international forums, such as the Acia Pacific Justice Forum and the International Forum on Commercial Law.

“Exchange of experiences, expansion of connections, and communication with the international stage are all very important to us. We welcome a stronger relationship with the Constitutional Court of Indonesia,” he emphasized.

Concluding the meeting, Justice Tony Poon explained the application of e-court in the High Court. The visit to the High Court of Hong Kong was the first time for the MKRI. It was aimed to expand international cooperation and to introduce AACC to courts in Asia. Head of the International Affairs Division Immanuel Hutasoit as well as legal consul Raymond Ali and consul for protocol affairs Clemens Triaji of the Consulate General of Indonesia in Hong Kong were also present as part of the MKRI delegation at the meeting.