Asian Law Center

Alumnus Professor Dr Erman Rajagukguk (LLM ’84, PhD ’89), Dean of Law at Al-Azhar University Jakarta and Professor of Law in the Graduate Program at University of Indonesia, has launched a website of Indonesian legal commentary and legal research resources: www.ermanhukum.com. In a country with improving, but limited, public legal information the Rajagukguk website will be a useful complement to the leading digital legal information portal, Hukumonline: http://www.hukumonline.com/

University Presidents, Vice Provosts and Center Directors representing more than 20 universities and colleges in the US travelled to Indonesia in July to prepare for expanding education programs under the planned U.S.-Indonesia Bilateral Partnership. The delegation laid groundwork for the new partnership, to be formally launched when President Obama visits Indonesia later this year. The delegation met with senior officials at the Indonesia Ministry of Education, Indonesian universities, the U.S. Embassy and American Indonesia Exchange Foundation (Fulbright Commission). Professor Taylor spoke at a public forum in Jakarta, emphasizing the importance of higher education links between the US and Indonesia. Indonesia historically sent a large number of students to study in the United States. In recent years, however, the numbers have declined and fewer Indonesians attend U.S. colleges and universities today than a decade ago. The future of academic exchange depends heavily on the relationships forged between higher education institutions in Indonesia and the United States.

In June 2009, the law school hosted a scholarly conference entitled "Islamic Law in the Courts: Judicial Interpretation of Shari`a in modern states." The conference was organized by Associate Professor Clark Lombardi and attended by leading specialists in Islamic law from around the world. The conference was underwritten by the Carnegie Corporation of New York along with the Henry Luce Foundation's Program in Religion and International Affairs, a number of regional studies programs and centers based at the Jackson School and the University of Washington Law School's Ted Stein Memorial Fund. With its historic strengths in Asian and Comparative law and Development law, the University of Washington Law School has been a pioneer in the study of law in the Islamic world.

At this conference, experts from around the world (all specializing in different parts of the Muslim world) presented translations of a contemporary court case and an analysis of it. Panelists also discussed the methodological challenges of studying court cases, and some lessons that that the study so far has taught to scholars and policy makers. The goal of the conference was, ultimately, to seed the ground for a long-term, international, interdisciplinary study of Islamic law as it actually applies in the courts of Muslim countries. Such a project will have both theoretical implications for academics and policy implications for nations around the world.

On April 27, 2009 (115 William H. Gates Hall, 12:30-1:20pm), Dr. Frank Feulner, Asian Law Center Research Fellow, addressed parliamentary institutional development and reform in Indonesia. 2009 is an important year in Indonesian democracy, including parliamentary elections in April and direct presidential elections in July. This year also marks the tenth anniversary of Indonesia's first post-Suharto democratic elections. There are only few studies of how the core democratic institutions actually work, and attention and support to parliamentary development remains small. Dr. Feulner argued that strong legislatures contribute to stronger democracies and shows how legislatures can be assisted in their efforts. Based on first-hand experience, he portrayed the changes in the Indonesian parliament since the fall of the authoritarian regime and the current challenges, and highlighted the entry points for parliamentary development assistance, particularly to further norms and standards for democratic standards.

Frank Feulner is a Parliamentary Adviser with the U.N. Development Program in Jakarta, Indonesia. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of London and a Diploma (Master) in Economics and Southeast Asian Area Studies from the University of Passau, Germany. Dr. Feulner has been serving as a consultant and project manager in the development field in Indonesia for close to a decade now, including positions with the World Bank Institute, the German Technical Cooperation program, the Research Triangle Institute, and the National Democratic Institute.

Professor Lombardi, together with Professors Michael Feener of the National University of Singapore and Mark Cammack at Southwestern Law School, hosted a conference at NUS in February 2009, analyzing patterns in the teaching of Islamic law in Indonesia and Malaysia as well as the impact of this teaching on court decisions. Developing a picture of changing Islamic legal education for legal professionals in the region is a necessary first step toward understanding how Islamic lawyers and Muslim judges view their own social roles and how Muslim judges formulate their decisions.

The Law School and the Asian Law Center congratulate Dr. Hendrianto on completing his Ph.D studies. Hendrianto’s dissertation is titled “From humble beginnings to a functioning Court: the Indonesian Constitutional Court, 2003 – 2008.”

Hendrianto joined the Ph.D. program in 2004, having graduated from Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia, and having received an LL.M., cum laude, from Utrecht University, Netherlands. His research interest is in comparative constitutional law and the role of the courts in transition economies. Consequently, his dissertation centers on the struggle to construct judicial review in the Indonesian Constitutional Court during a transition period, and focuses on the main factors that are contributing to the development of the Indonesian Constitutional Court into a functioning institution.

UW Law Professor Emeritus Roy L. Prosterman, founder and chairman emeritus of the Rural Development Institute (RDI), RDI Senior Attorney Robert Mitchell (J.D. ’87, LL.M. ’93) and Dean Erman Rajagukguk (LL.M. ‘84, Ph.D. ‘89) continue to collaborate on land reform in Indonesia through RDI’s Indonesian office. One key goal is to give Indonesia’s poorest families a way to stabilize and supplement their incomes with small homestead plots.

As a result of Prosterman's leadership, RDI has become an extraordinarily effective advocate for international land law and policy reform. In March 2006, Prosterman has been named the recipient of the inaugural Henry R. Kravis Prize in Leadership for his pioneering work in fighting for the rights of the rural poor to own land, one of the underlying causes of global poverty.

Dean Rajagukguk has maintained strong ties to the UW Law School and faculty since his student days. In addition to his ongoing work with Professors Lev, Prosterman and Taylor, he is working with Beth Rivin, Research Associate Professor and Director of the UW Global Health and Justice Project, on legal issues around human rights and health.

In Spring 2008, Professor Lombardi presented lectures titled “Development of Islamic Law Studies in the United States” at the National Islamic University of Indonesia, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, and “The Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt and Islamic Law” at the Council on Islamic Ideology in Islamabad, Pakistan. At the National University of Singapore, he spoke on “Islamism as a Response to Emergency in Pakistan: The Surprising Philosophy of Justice A.R. Cornelius” as part of a Conference on Emergency Powers in Asia and was a commentator at the university’s workshop on “Belief in Law: Religions, Identity, Colonialism and National Policy.”

Dr. Tomi Suryo Utomo (Ph.D. 2006) is currently teaching at Sanabadra University, Indonesia. His dissertation, titled “Indonesian Drug Policy and Patent Regulation After the TRIPS Agreement: Better Access to Essential Medicines?” focused on the protection of pharmaceutical patents in Indonesia and its impact on the public health sector.

Dr. Kurnia Toha (Ph.D. 2007) is currently teaching at the University of Indonesia. His dissertation, titled “The Struggle Over Land Rights: A Study of indigenous property rights in Indonesia” examined the Indonesian government's policy and regulation on land tenure, especially on communal land rights, in comparison to Malaysia and Australia.

In July 2006 we lost UW Professor Emeritus Daniel S. Lev, our friend and preeminent colleague in the field of Southeast Asian Law and Politics. A specialist in the comparative politics, legal systems and human rights of Southeast Asia, Dan’s research on Indonesian law and politics was seminal. He set standards for both scholars and law reformers.

In his honor, the University of Washington School of Law Asian Law Center, in collaboration with University of Indonesia Faculty of Law held a memorial conference in Seattle in February 2007 featuring many of his Indonesian colleagues and former students. The conference brought together many esteemed guests and colleagues to discuss a broad range of topics from law and politics in Indonesia to economic development to land reform. Noted speakers included Hikmahanta Juwana, Dean of the University of Indonesia Faculty of Law, Erman Rajagukguk, Dean of Al-Azar University Law Faculty (LL.M. ‘84, Ph.D. ‘89), Adnan Uyung Nasution and Yunus Husein, to name a few.

On May 23 2007, over 50 Indonesian alumni and friends of the Law School gathered in Jakarta. In his welcoming remarks, Mr Arief Surowijojo (LLM ’84), name partner of leading Indonesian law firm Lubis, Ganie Surowijojo observed that this was the first time that UWLS alumni in Jakarta had gathered formally as a cohort and that it marked a real opportunity to build on professional ties and strengthen the Indonesian legal profession.

UW law alumni in Indonesia are among the leading names in government and private practice and have also featured consistently in legal reform debates and initiatives. Mr Surowijojo is a leading figure in commercial legal practice in Indonesia who is also a key supporter for the leading legal reform NGO, PSHK (Center for Indonesian Law and Policy Studies). In his remarks, Mr Surowijojo acknowledged the most senior alumnus present, Ms Sri Indrastuti Hadiputranto (LLM ‘81) name partner of Hadiputranto, Hadinoto & Partners(the Baker and McKenzie affiliate in Jakarta). Ibu Tuti Hadiputranto is well-known in Indonesia for the uncompromising integrity of her practice. In his remarks, Dr. Rajagukguk, Dean of Al-Azar University Law Faculty (LLM ‘84, PhD ‘88) remembered Emeritus Professor Daniel S. Lev and his immense influence in recruiting outstanding students to UW in politics and law. Professor Veronica Taylor (LLM ’92) introduced Professors Jon Eddy (JD ‘69) and Clark Lombardi who attended the reunion, and two of the most recent Indonesian PhD graduates of the Law School, Dr Tomi Suryo (PhD ‘06) and Dr. Kurnia Toha (PhD ’07). The Indonesian alumni reunion was supported by Professor Melda Kamil Ariadno (LLM ‘95, PhD in progress) and her colleagues at the Center for International Law, University of Indonesia. Under the leadership of Dr. Rajagukguk and colleagues our Indonesian alumni committed to formalizing a UWLS Indonesia Alumni Association in the near future.

Professors Veronica Taylor, Jonathan Eddy and Clark Lombardi traveled to Jakarta in May 2007 to take part and present at the Fourth Annual Asian Law Institute (ASLI) Conference, hosted by the University of Indonesia Faculty of Law, themed "Voices of Asia for a Just and Equitable World." The three offered a comparative perspective from their recent experience with the Asian Law Center’s Afghan Legal Educators’ Program. Professor Eddy addressed “Challenges of Pluralism in Afghan Legal Reconstruction”; Professor Lombardi’s presentation was titled “Identifying, Teaching and Researching the Law of an Emerging State: Lessons from Afghanistan for other Transitional Societies.” Professor Taylor offered a perspective on “Afghan Legal Education in a Crossroad: Secular, Sharia or Synthesis?”

Professor Jonathan (Jon) Eddy joined us in July 2005. After graduating from UW (J.D. ‘69), Jon began his career teaching commercial law in Ethiopia under Ford Foundation sponsorship and held faculty positions at a number of distinguished law schools. He has practiced commercial law for over 20 years, most recently as a partner in a major Seattle law firm. Since 2001 Jon has undertaken development work for USAID in Indonesia and the Philippines, focusing on anti-money laundering efforts, and for a U.S. Department of Commerce project on commercial law reform in the Arabian Gulf. At the Law School, Jon will teach and serve as Project Director for the Afghanistan Legal Educators project.