Sri Soemantri: A Key Constitutional Player
The young Soemantri came from a remote spot in East Java to make history for himself in the middle of the last century. He was involved in the heated debates that took place in the Constitutional Assembly.
These days, as an intellectual, along with several colleagues he is still endeavoring to put the Constitution into order so that it can become the soul of the nation in coming centuries.
Speaking with Widiarsi Agustina from Tempo, he spoke about how different the political disagreements were during the era of the Constitutional Assembly compared with the current era of reform. Throughout the discussion with Tempo, not once did he have to refer to notes to recall dates or names. He is far from senile. “The secret lies in the three b’s: prayer (berzikir), thought (berpikir) and love (bercinta),” he said.
May 6, 2008
MONDAY, April 22, 2008. A brief meeting took place at the Merdeka Palace. Together with my colleagues from the Institute for Constructional Studies, I met with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. We handed over the results of a study into revisions for a fifth amendment the 1945 Constitution.
The President’s response was very good. He even conveyed to us his complaints about the four previous amendments to the Constitution. It turns out that
...