Chief Justice Marries President Jokowi's Sister in Solo

TheIndonesia.co - Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court Anwar Usman married the younger sister of Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Idayati, in a ceremony held at Gedung Graha Saba Buana in Solo, Central Java, on Thursday, May 26.

As reported by Antara, the akad nikah ceremony started at 9.00 a.m. local time with the President himself as the bride’s wali; Vice President Ma'ruf Amin and Military Commander Andika Perkasa were also present to witness the ceremony.

Usman reportedly gifted a set of prayer equipment and a watch to the bride as mahar.

The Grand Imam of Istiqlal Mosque Nasaruddin Umar also spoke during the ceremony and wished the couple happiness in their marriage.

High-profile figures that attended the event included Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani, Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto, Minister of Law and Human Rights Yasonna Hamonangan Laoly, and Minister of State Secretary Pratikno – among others.

It was reported earlier this year that Usman would marry Idayati, and the plan got quite an attention from the public.

Director of Center for Constitutional Studies (Pusako) at Andalas University Feri Amsari called for Usman to resign from his position if he was to marry the President’s sibling in order to avoid conflict of interest related to his work at the Constitutional Court.

“Chief Justice should resign to prevent conflict of interest allegations,” Amsari said on March 21, as reported by Suara.com. “[Considering that] the President is involved in many affairs in the Constitutional Court, especially in judicial reviews.”

Usman, however, made it clear that he didn’t intend to step down from his role after the marriage, saying, “One of God's absolute rights that determines a mate, a continuation mate or a first mate, the same, God will determine. Then when carrying out God's orders, away from God's prohibition, certain people ask to resign from a position, do I have to disobey Allah's decree? No."