Review essay: the precarious position of courts and fundamental rights in Indonesia’s Constitutional Democracy

Though it is the world’s fourth largest country by population, Indonesia rarely features in comparative constitutional studies. Those of us engaged in comparative research on Asia have had access to high-quality work on Indonesian public law by country specialists, mostly based in Australia. What has been more difficult to locate is academic work by Indonesian scholars (in English) as well as scholarship that situates Indonesia within global academic debates. Constitutional Democracy in Indonesia fills both these gaps admirably. Its editor, Melissa Crouch, is ideally situated to shepherd this wide-ranging work, as she combines country expertise on Indonesia with broad knowledge of the comparative constitutional landscape. Crouch has assembled a mix of Indonesian and international authors to deepen our understanding of the country’s public institutions. The chapters span not just the usual topics of constitutional scholarship – such as the role of the legislatures and courts – but the role of the military, criminal justice officials, and the electoral regime as well.