JAKARTA, Legal Literacy - Nearing the end of his term as a constitutional justice, Arief Hidayat joked to Anwar Usman and quipped that Solo seemed to have a "blessing" because it was able to produce the President and Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia. The moment occurred during the post-retirement graduation ceremony for constitutional justices in the Plenary Session Room of Building I of the Constitutional Court, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday (4/2/2026).

Arief retired on February 3, 2026 after serving for 13 years, coinciding with his age reaching 70 years, in accordance with the provisions of the retirement age limit for constitutional justices. The event was attended by eight other constitutional justices, including Anwar Usman.

Joke for Anwar Usman and the Story of Being “Persuaded” to Become Deputy Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court

When greeting the justices, Arief deliberately mentioned Anwar Usman's name last while joking that those who had reached retirement age were "old people" in the Constitutional Court. He then recalled the early days of becoming a constitutional justice, when Anwar Usman and Harjono came to see him and persuaded him to run for Deputy Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court. Arief finally agreed and briefly served as Deputy Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court in the 2013–2015 period.

Serious Message: Sad If the Constitutional Court is “Persecuted” and Notes on Case Decision 90

Behind his jokes, Arief also conveyed a serious message. He stated that he was not sad to be leaving the Constitutional Court, but felt sad if the Constitutional Court was unable to stand firm in upholding constitutional law and the nation's ideology. He argued that the dynamics during his 13-year term varied greatly—from the proud to the sad.

Arief also mentioned the Constitutional Court Decision in Case Number 90/PUU-XXI/2023 concerning the age limit for presidential and vice-presidential candidates, which he said was the starting point for the nation's condition becoming "not well". He admitted that the moment of discussing the case was one of the most difficult experiences for him.

Joke about “Born in Solo” and Message for Successor

Arief joked again when he told the story that his children chose to become lecturers and never "asked for anything" during his tenure. He also conveyed a family joke about choosing Solo as the birthplace of his grandchildren—with the symbolic hope that they would one day become national leaders—while affirming his prayer that if that happened, his grandchildren would become good leaders.

At the end of the event, Arief advised Adies Kadir, his replacement, that the role of a constitutional justice is different from that of a member of the DPR. According to him, the Constitutional Court is tasked with guarding the constitution and state ideology.