The Paradigm of Contemporary Rule of Law in Indonesia: Between Conceptual Basis, Ideals, and Reflection
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31941/pj.v25i2.8316Keywords:
The Rule of Law, Paradigm, Contemporary, PancasilaAbstract
This article examines the term “rule of law,” which has been part of Indonesia’s constitutional identity since the enactment of the 1945 Constitution, yet whose implementation has often deviated from its original ideals. The rule of law seems to be nothing more than a formal jargon, marked by corruption, human rights violations, and minimal public participation in the formulation of regulations. The research method used is normative-critical-evaluative legal philosophy. The results of this study show that the Pancasila rule of law paradigm is prismatic. This paradigm is dynamic and open to new values, but the normalization of the phrase “Indonesia is a country based on the rule of law” has not had a real impact on the practice of nationhood and statehood. In the contemporary paradigm, the actualization of the rule of law still faces substantive problems in the form of weak accountability, the failure of checks and balances, and low public participation in legislation. The study emphasizes the need to strengthen the rule of law paradigm so that it is not merely formal, but substantive, in accordance with the ideals of Pancasila.
Downloads
References
Azhari, A. F. (2012). Negara Hukum Indonesia Dekolonisasi dan Rekonstruksi Tradisi. Jurnal Hukum Ius Quia Iustum, 489-505.
Azhary, M. T. (2015). Negara Hukum: Suatu Studi tentang Prinsip-prinsipnya Dilihat dari Segi Hukum Islam, Implementasinya pada Periode Negara Madinah dan Masa kini. Jakarta: Prenada.
Balkin, J. M. (2017). Constitutional Crisis and Constitutional Rot. Maryland Law Review, 147-160 .
Beetham, D. (2006). Parliament and Democracy in the Twenty-First Century. Geneva: Intern-Parliamentary Union.
Bisariya, S., & Bulmer, W. E. (2017). Rule of Law, Democracy and Human Rights: The Paramountcy of Moderation. In e. Maurice Adams, Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law: Bridging Idealism and Realism (p. 123). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Bruggink, J. (1999). Refleksi Tentang Hukum, Pengertian-pengertian Dasar dalam Teori Hukum. Bandung: Penerbit Citra Aditya Bakti.
CNBC. (2025). ni 7 Kontroversi Anggota DPR yang Picu Kemarahan Masyarakat. Retrieved from ni 7 Kontroversi Anggota DPR yang Picu Kemarahan Masyarakat: https://www.cnbcindonesia.com/research/20250830181344-128-662900/ini-7-kontroversi-anggota-dpr-yang-picu-kemarahan-masyarakat
Detik.news. (2026). Hakim Praperadilan Sebut Febrie Diduga Terima Rp 40 M dari Tan Kian. Retrieved September 2026, from https://news.detik.com/berita/d-8637304/hakim-praperadilan-sebut-febrie-diduga-terima-rp-40-m-dari-tan-kian-ini-alasannya
Djafar, W. (2010). Menegaskan Kembali Komitmen Negara Hukum: Sebuah Catatan Atas Kecenderungan Defisit Negara Hukum di Indonesia. Jurnal Konstitusi, 127-148.
Dworkin, R. (1985). A Matter of Principle . Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
Economist, T. (2008). Economics and the Rule of Law.
Eggert, N., & et.al. (2016). Preparing for Action: Police Deployment Decision for Demonstrations. 28(28), 1-13.
Endicott, T. (2011). Administrative Law . Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Fadjar, A. M. (2018). Negara Hukum dan Perkembangan Teori Hukum. Malang: Intrans Publishing.
Fuller, L. F. (1968). The Morality of Law. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.
Ginsburg, T. (2011). Pitfalls of Measuring the Rule of Law. Hague Journal on the Rule of Law, 269-280.
Gowder, P. (2016). The Rule of Law in the Real World. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Hadjon, P. M. (1987). Perlindungan Hukum Bagi Rakyat di Indonesia. Surabaya: Bina Ilmu.
Harijanti, S. D. (2011). Negara Hukum dalam Undang-Undang Dasar 1945. In e. Susi Dwi Harijanti, Negara Hukum yang Berkeadilan. Bandung: Pusat Studi Kebijakan Negara.
Hatta, M. (1975). Menuju Negara Hukum. Jakarta: Idayu Press.
Hidayat, A. (2017). Negara Hukum Berwatak Pancasila. Universitas Atma Jaya Yogyakarta (pp. 3-10). Yogyakarta: Universitas Atma Jaya Yogyakarta.
Hukumonline.com. (2026). Ketua Ombudsman Jadi Tersangka. Retrieved September 2026, from Hukumonline.com, “Ketua Ombudsman Jadi Tersangka https://www.hukumonline.com/berita/a/ketua-ombudsman-jadi-tersangka-korupsi--ini-kronologi-kasusnya-lt69e1ba7908220/, diakses 2 September 2026.
Indonesia, B. N. (2025). Delpedro dkk menolak dakwaan 'menghasut' dalam demo Agustus. Retrieved Desember 2025, from https://www.bbc.com/indonesia/articles/c62vdr45r70o.
International, A. (2025). Bebaskan Sebelas Warga Maba Sangaji dari Hukuman Penjara. Retrieved Desember 2025, from https://www.amnesty.id/kabar-terbaru/siaran-pers/bebaskan-sebelas-warga-maba-sangaji-dari-hukuman-penjara/10/2025/
Isnawati, e. (2022). Hukum Tata Negara Indonesia: Teori, Historis, dan Dinamika I. Sleman: Bintang Semesta Media.
Jansen, R. (2012). Rule of Law A Guide for Politicians. Lund: The Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitaruan Law and Hague Institute for the Internationalisation of Law .
Kaelan. (2020). Filsafat Hukum Pancasila dan Semiotika Hukum Pancasila. Yogyakarta: Paradigma.
King, J. (2018). Social Rights in Comparative Constitutional Theory. In G. Jacobsohn, & M. (. Schor, Comparative Constitutional Theory (p. 147). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Kompas. (2025). Demo Pati 2025: dari Pajak Melonjak hingga Tuntutan Mundur Bupati. Retrieved 2025, from https://kompaspedia.kompas.id/baca/infografik/kronologi/demo-pati-2025-dari-pajak-melonjak-hingga-tuntutan-mundur-bupati
Kompas. (2025). Unjuk Rasa Tolak UU TNI Timbulkan Korban. Retrieved Desember 2025, from https://www.kompas.id/artikel/warga-kerap-dipukuli-tindakan-aparat-merespons-demonstrasi-dinilai-brutal
Konstitusi, S. J. (2010). Naskah Komprehensif Perubahan Undang-Undang Dasar Republik Indonesia Tahun 1945. Jakarta: Mahkamah Konstitusi.
Konstitusi, S. J. (2010). Naskah Komprehensif Perubahan Undang-Undang Dasar Republik Indonesia Tahun 1945: Latar Belakang, Proses, dan Hasil Pembahasan 1999-2002, Buku II Sendi-sendi/Fundamen Negara. Jakarta: Sekretariat Jeneral dan Kepanietraan Mahkamah Konstitusi.
Loewenstein, K. (1965). Political Power dan The Governmental Process . Chicago & London: The University of Chicago Press.
Manan, B. (2003). Teori dan Politik Konstitusi. Yogyakarta: FH UII Press.
MD, M. M. (2013). Perdebatan Hukum Tata Negara Pasca Amandemen Konstitusi. Jakarta: Rajawali Press.
Mietzner, M. (2023). The Coalitions Presidents Make: Presidential Power and Its Limits in Democratic Indonesia. New York: Cornell University Press .
Nasution, A. B. (2011). Toward Constitutional Democracy in Indonesia . Melbourne: The University of Melbourne.
Nations, U. (2004). The Rule of Law and Transitional Justice in Conflict and Post-Conflict Societies. United Nation.
Neo, J., & W. Arguelhes, D. (2025). Rediscovering the Constitutional Preamble? How Judges Enlist Preambles to Legitimate Transformative Interpretations. The American Journal of Comparative Law , 236-278.
O’Donnell, G. A. (2004). Why the Rule of Law Matters. Journal of Democracy, 15(4), 32-46 .
Orgad, L. (2010). The Preamble in Constitutional Interpretation. International Constitutional Law Journal, 714-738.
Prasetyo, T. (2014). Membangun Hukum Nasional Berdasarkan Pancasila. Jurnal Hukum dan Peradilan, 213-222.
Project, T. W. (2005). Rule of Law Index. Washington: The World Justice Project.
Project, T. W. (2025). Retrieved Desember 2025, from The World Justice Project: https://worldjusticeproject.org/rule-of-law-index/factors/2025/Constraints%20on%20Government%20Powers/
Project, T. W. (2025). The World Justice Project. Retrieved from The World Justice Project: https://worldjusticeproject.org/rule-of-law-index/global/2024
Putusan Mahkamah Konstitusi Republik Indonesia, 91/PUU-XVIII/2020 (Mahkamah Konstitusi 2020).
Qi, H. (2019). Strenghening the Rule of Law in Collaborative Governance. Journal of Chinnese Governance, 4(1), 1-19.
Rahardjo, S. (2009). Negara Hukum yang Membahagiakan Rakyatnya. Yogyakarta: Genta Publishing.
Rahmatullah, I. (2020). Meneguhkan Kembali Indonesia Sebagai Negara Hukum Pancasila. Buletin Hukum dan Keadilan.
Raz, J. (2016). The Rule of Law and its Virtue. In R. Bellamy, The Rule of Law and the Separation of Powers (p. 78). New York: Routledge.
Rijpkema, P. (2013). The Rule of Law Beyond Thick and Thin,. Law and Philosphy, 32(2), 793-816.
Rosenfeld, M. (2001). The Rule of Law, and the Legitimacy of Constitutional Democracy. Working Paper Series.
Scheppele, K. L. (2018). Autocratic Legalism. The University of Chicago Law Review, 85(2), 545-583.
Silalahi, A. D. (2024). The Paradox of State of Law Idea on Pancasila Philosophical Justification as Source of Law. Jurnal Konstitusi, 63-76.
Skaaning, S.-E. (2010). Measuring the Rule of Law,. Political Research Quarterly, 449-455.
Stein, R. (2009). Rule of Law: What Does it Mean. Minnesota Journal of International Law , 293-303.
Tamanaha, B. Z. (2004). On the Rule of Law. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Tamanaha, B. Z. (2007). A Concise Guide to the Rule of Law.
Thontowi, J. (2016). Pancasila dalam Perspektif Hukum. Yogyakarta: FH UII Press.
Thoolen, H. (1987). Indonesia and the Rule of Law, Twenty Years of ‘New Order’ Government. London: Frances Pinter.
Versteeg, M. V., & Ginsburg, T. (2017). Measuring the Rule of Law: A Comparison of Indicators. Jorunal of the American Bar Foundation.
Wiener, A. (2008). The Invisible Constitutions of Politics: Contested Norms and International Encounters. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Zalnieriute, M. (2019). The Rule of Law and Automation of Government Decision-Making. The Modern Law Review, 425-455.
Zolo, P. C. (2007). The Rule of Law History, Theory, and Criticism. Dordrecht: Springer.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Rezky Robiatul Aisyiah Ismail, Muhammad Ishaq Ismail, Isnawati, Sintya Irawati, Adam Setiawan
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
