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This article examines the relationship between Islamic politics and democracy in contemporary Indonesia. As the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, Indonesia presents a distinctive dynamic in the interaction between Islamic values and modern democratic systems. This study aims to analyze how Islamic political actors, including political parties and religious organizations, interact with and adapt to democratic practices in the post-Reform era. The research employs a qualitative method through a literature review of Indonesian academic journals published within the last five years. The findings indicate that Islamic politics in Indonesia is plural and dynamic, showing an adaptive tendency toward democratic principles. Islamic values such as deliberation (shura), justice, and equality are considered compatible with democratic ideals. However, Islamic politics also faces contemporary challenges, including the politicization of religion, identity politics, and social polarization. The article concludes that the relationship between Islamic politics and democracy in Indonesia is dynamic and largely adaptive within the framework of the Pancasila state.

Criminal acts of assault against children constitute a serious violation of human rights that requires optimal legal protection by the state. As legal subjects, children are entitled to security, protection from violence, and guarantees for proper growth and development, as mandated by Pancasila, the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia, and relevant child protection legislation. This study aims to conduct a juridical analysis of the legal considerations applied by judges in Decision Number 83/Pid.Sus/2020/PN.Kot concerning the criminal offense of assault committed against a child, as well as to assess their conformity with criminal law principles, child protection law, and the objectives of sentencing. This research employs a normative legal research method using statutory, conceptual, and case approaches, supported by primary, secondary, and tertiary legal materials. The findings reveal that although the legal basis applied refers to Law Number 35 of 2014 on Child Protection, the judicial considerations have not been comprehensively formulated, as they insufficiently incorporate sociological, criminological, and child-centered protection perspectives. Consequently, the sentence imposed is relatively lenient and fails to fully reflect the objectives of punishment, particularly deterrence and sustainable protection for child victims. Therefore, strengthening the quality of judicial reasoning and ensuring the optimal application of relevant legal provisions are essential to achieve legal certainty, justice, and effective protection for children as victims of violent crimes.

This study examines the Hybrid Model of Restorative Justice from a comparative perspective between Civil Law and Common Law systems as a reflection of the transformation of criminal law policy. The Civil Law system, rooted in legal positivism, emphasizes formal legal certainty through codification, whereas the Common Law system allows broader judicial discretion and judge-made law. These differing paradigms significantly influence the development and implementation of restorative justice. Indonesia, as a Civil Law country, has demonstrated a shift toward a hybrid legal policy by incorporating Common Law values into its criminal justice reforms, particularly through the National Criminal Code. This research employs a normative juridical method using conceptual, statutory, and comparative law approaches. The findings indicate that the Hybrid Model of Restorative Justice represents a strategic legal policy choice aimed at harmonizing legal certainty and substantive justice in accordance with the Pancasila legal ideals.

The reform of Indonesia’s criminal law through Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code (KUHP) marks a fundamental shift in the national criminal justice system, particularly through the formal recognition of the living law as law that lives within society. This article analyzes the correlation between living law and the principle of legality within the context of national criminal law reform. The study employs a normative juridical method with statutory, conceptual, and comparative approaches to examine how the 2023 Criminal Code seeks to balance legal certainty with substantive justice. The findings indicate that the regulation of the principle of legality in Article 1 of the KUHP remains the primary foundation for ensuring the protection of individual rights and preventing arbitrary state actions. However, the recognition of living law under Article 2 of the KUHP expands the sources of criminal law beyond written statutes to include social values living within the community, insofar as they are consistent with Pancasila, general legal principles, and human rights. The relationship between the principle of legality and living law in the 2023 KUHP is not antagonistic but rather complementary and harmonious. Living law enriches the legality principle substantively through moral and social justice dimensions, while the legality principle serves as a normative safeguard to maintain legal certainty and prevent the abuse of power. Therefore, the integration of both principles reflects a new paradigm of Indonesian criminal law that is pluralistic, just, and civilized, reaffirming the nation’s legal politics grounded in Pancasila values and the principles of a democratic rule of law.

The enactment of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code (KUHP) marks a historic milestone in the reform of Indonesia's criminal law system. This study examines the fundamental changes from the old Criminal Code (Wetboek van Strafrecht) to the new National Criminal Code, focusing on the paradigm shift from retributive justice to restorative justice as a form of law enforcement reform. Using a normative juridical method with a statutory and comparative approach, the study analyzes the philosophical, structural, and substantive transformation embedded in the new Criminal Code. The findings indicate that the new Criminal Code introduces significant reforms including the adoption of the dualistic theory separating criminal acts from criminal liability, the recognition of living law, the expansion of criminal subjects to include corporations, the formulation of sentencing guidelines based on restorative principles, and the integration of Pancasila values as the moral foundation of the criminal law system. The case of corruption prosecution involving the Chromebook laptop procurement at the Ministry of Education illustrates the ongoing challenges of criminal law enforcement during this transitional period. This research concludes that the transition from the old to the new Criminal Code constitutes a comprehensive legal reform that transforms not only normative substance but also the fundamental paradigm of criminal law enforcement in Indonesia

The application of a uniform pattern in center-periphery relations is frequently entrapped in a rigidity of uniformity that neglects the sociological and historical complexities of Indonesian society. This study aims to analyze the juridical construction of asymmetric decentralization within the framework of the Pancasila Rule of Law, as well as its implications for the management of diversity and national integration. Employing a normative legal research method with conceptual and statutory approaches, this study reveals that asymmetric decentralization is not merely an administrative deviation, but rather an imperative manifestation of substantive justice and the politics of recognition towards regional particularities. Although this policy has been effective in mitigating disintegration potential in special regions such as Aceh and Papua, its implementation leaves residual issues regarding sharp disparities in authority, potential legal fragmentation, and inter-regional jealousy. This study concludes that the sustainability of special autonomy necessitates a governance reconstruction that is not solely oriented towards temporary political accommodation, but must be coherently integrated with Pancasila values. The theoretical implications of this study underscore the necessity for harmonization between national legal supremacy and the flexibility of regional autonomy to foster sustainable social cohesion within the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia.