Executive Power in Indonesia: Independent Institutions and the Unitary Executive Theory Perspective
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71250/rlr.v4i1.123Keywords:
Unitary Executive Theory, UUD NRI 1945, Presidential System, Independent State Institution, Weak Unitary Executive ModelAbstract
This article examines the presence of independent agencies that perform executive functions within Indonesia’s constitutional system as a normative critique of post-reform institutional design. The article discusses the concept of the Unitary Executive Theory, which developed in the United States as an adherent of a pure presidential system, the position of the President under the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia, as well as the relevance and operationalization of this theory within the context of Indonesia’s constitutional system. The research employs a normative legal approach using four methodologies: the statutory approach, the conceptual approach, the comparative approach, and the historical approach. The conclusion of this article is that the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia contains a sufficient constitutional basis for the application of the Weak Unitary Executive Theory; therefore, institutions performing executive functions should be under the President’s chain of command to ensure presidential accountability and consistency.
References
Arnita. (2020). Sistem Pemerintahan Presidensial dalam Negara Kesatuan Republik Indonesia. Jurnal Transformasi Administrasi, 10(2). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.56196/jta.v10i02.163
Aurelia, S. O., Listyani, A. S., Ramadhani, A. N., & Saputri, S. A. (2024). Dinamika Lembaga Independen dalam Ketatanegaraan Indonesia. Jurnal Ilmiah Nusantara ( JINU), 1(4), 130–140. https://doi.org/10.61722/jinu.v1i4.1672
Bamzai, A., & Prakash, S. B. (2023). the Executive Power of Removal. Harvard Law Review, 136(7), 1756–1844. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5086345
Birk, D. D. (2021). Interrogating the historical basis for a unitary executive. Stanford Law Review, 73(1), 175–236. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3428737
Calabresi, S. G., & Prakash, S. B. (1994). The President’s Power to Execute the Laws. Yale Law Journal, 104(3), 541–665.
Harjanti, D. K. (2022). Mengkaji Ulang Pembatasan Kekuasaan Presiden dan Penguatan Kekuasaan DPR dalam UUD 1945. Diversi: Jurnal Hukum, 8(2).
Hendri, E. (2024). Kebijakan Batasan Kekuasaan Eksekutif dan Legislatif dalam Amandemen UUD 1945. Majelis: Jurnal Hukum Indonesia, 1(3).
Indrati S., M. F. (2007). Ilmu Perundang-Undangan: Jenis, Fungsi, dan Materi Muatan. Kanisius.
Kanter, G., & Rosser, J. G. (2020). Seila Law LLC v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Cornell Law School. https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/cert/19-7
Kurnia, T. S. (2020a). Presidential Candidacy Threshold and Presidentialism Affirmation in Indonesia. Padjajaran: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum, 7(3). https://doi.org/10.22304/pjih.v7n3.a4
Kurnia, T. S. (2020b). The KPK as Abnormal Constitutional Order and the Legal Implication of Constitutional Court Decision No. 36/ PUU-XV/2017. Jurnal Konstitusi, 17(1), 130–156. https://doi.org/10.31078/jk1716
Mangar, I., & Rosyid Ridho, M. (2022). Lembaga Independen Negara dalam Ketatanegaraan Indonesia. Jurnal Agama Dan Sosial-Humaniora, 1(2), 75–84. http://dx.doi.org/10.1557/djash.v1i2.18040
Mochtar, Z. A. (2016). Lembaga Negara Independen: Dinamika Perkembangan dan Urgensi Penataannya Kembali Pasca-Amandemen Konstitusi. Raja Grafindo Persada.
R. J., H., & J. H., S. (2025). The Unitary Executive Theory: An Attack on The Independence of Certain Federal Agencies or The Proper Exercise of Presidential Authority. Archives of Bussiness Research, 13(7).
Sirajuddin. (2015). Dasar-Dasar Hukum Tata Negara Indonesia. Setara Press.
Sunstein, C. R. (1987). Constitutionalism after the New Deal. Harvard Law Review, 101(2), 421. https://doi.org/10.2307/1341264
Sunstein, C. R. (2020). The Unitary Executive: Past, Present, Future. The Supreme Court Review.
Widodo, H., Prasetio, D. E., & Disantara, F. P. (2020). Relasi Kekuasaan Antar Presiden dan Wakil Presiden dalam Sistem Ketatanegaraan Republik Indonesia. Pandecta Research Law Journal, 15(1).
Wiryadi, U., Gifari, F., & Chariansyah, H. (2023). Kedudukan dan Kewenangan Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi (KPK) Dalam Ketatanegaraan Indonesia Pasca Undang-Undang Baru. Begawan Abioso, 14(2).
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 putri mega silvia pa, Kamalia Firdausi, Rizkina Mewahni
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Author(s) who wish to publish with this journal should agree to the following terms:
- Author(s) retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 License (CC BY-NC) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work’s authorship and initial publication in this journal for noncommercial purposes.
- Author(s) are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal’s published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
The publisher publish and distribute the Article with the copyright notice to the Realism: Law Review with the article license CC-BY-NC 4.0.
