UMS Confers Four Doctorates in Law, Call for Transcendent Law

The Doctoral Program in Law (PDIH) at Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS) has once again inaugurated four new doctors. The inauguration was held in the Seminar Room of the UMS Postgraduate Building on Monday (22/9/2025).

PDIH UMS conferred doctoral degrees on FX Ary Setiawan as the 98th doctor, Jhonsen Ginting as the 99th, Mohammad Indra Bangsawan as the 100th, and Suryani as the 101st.

Promoter Prof. Dr. H. Khudzaifah Dimyati, S.H., M.Hum., reminded the new doctors that as scholars, they must continue conducting research that has an impact not only academically or personally, but also on society.

“So do not stop conducting research after finishing your studies. Keep producing writings that will have an impact on yourself, society, and perhaps even the nation,” Khudzaifah emphasized.

Earlier, Suryani had defended her dissertation in an open examination, entitled “The Value and Spirit of Transcendence in the Formation of Legislation (A Study of the Agrarian Resources Law).”

According to Suryani, the issue of lawmaking has received less attention compared to court decisions. She argued that the process of drafting laws sometimes evokes feelings of disgust toward the resulting legislation.

Suryani presented her dissertation in the Seminar Room of the UMS Postgraduate Building on September 22, 2025. UMS Public Relations  

She explained that the reality of lawmaking in the land sector is neither transparent nor participatory, and tends to be concealed.

Suryani also found that many lawmaking processes are dominated by members of the House of Representatives (DPR), and her data revealed that these processes are rife with collusion, corruption, and nepotism.

She emphasized the importance of the transformation of transcendent law within national agrarian law. This, she argued, represents a new paradigm that she considers highly relevant for the development of law in Indonesia. “This relates to the various spiritual values that flourish in Indonesia,” she stressed.

She also underlined the urgency of accommodating transcendence in the formation of agrarian legislation in Indonesia. According to her, there are already many references that can be drawn upon, including the concept of the Pancasila state of law, such as the first principle, Ketuhanan Yang Maha Esa (Belief in One Almighty God).

“Transcendent values are a form of recognition of the divine source, and these must be consistently upheld. They should be actualized, internalized by lawmakers, and reflected in legislative products,” Suryani explained.

However, she observed that the dominance of political and economic interests has sadly reduced those transcendent values into liberal-capitalist ones. As a result, much of Indonesia’s legislation tends to favor group interests.

Writer: Maysali Sudarwati 

Editor: Fika Annisa Sholihah

Translator: Farizal Luqman Majid