UNITARY STATE OF THE

REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA
(NKRI)
A. Term of “State”
The word “State” is derived from Latin word
* “status” or “statum”:
- placing upright,
- causing to stand
- placing

State is an abstract term that shows a state of being

upright or something that is upright and fixed
Other words refer to state:

Staat (dutch and German)

State (English)
Etat (French)
B. DEFINITION OF STATE
1. George Jellinek and Logemann

- A state is a power organization

- Aim of a state is to control the
people by means of power
George Jellinek and Logemann

- State can impose its wishes by means of the power on the

people as member of organization (state)
2. Mr. Kranenburg

A state is an organization that

developep because of the will of a
group or nation
3. Prof. R. Djokosoetono
A state is an organization of humans
or groups of humans who are under
the same government
C. CHARACTERISTICS OF STATE
Prof. Miriam Budiardjo:
1. Coercive
2. Monopolistic
3. Universal
 COERCIVE
- Coercive power:
Authority or power that is
dependent on fear,
suppression of free will,
and/or use of
punishment or threat, for
its existence.
COERCIVE

- Coercive power is the

ability to control others
through the fear of
punishment or the loss of
valued outcomes.
MONOPOLISTIC
determining the people’s common goals
A government dominates in all aspects of
people’s life.
Activities that relate to the needs of the
people are monopolized by the state.
For example:
Natural recources in a state are controlled or
monopolized by the state for optimum welfare of the
people.
MONOPOLISTIC
 In economics, a government monopoly (or public
monopoly) is a form of coercive monopoly in
which a government agency
or government corporation is the sole provider of
a particular good or service and competition is
prohibited by law.
Article 33 of 1945 Constitution

“The earth and water and all wealth

contained in them are possessed by the
state and used for maximum welfare of
the people”.
MONOPOLISTIC
- the people cannot freely extract
fuel (BBM), minerals or other
resources without the state’s
permit.
MONOPOLISTIC
State can prohibit or permit certain
political concepts or beliefs to exist or
be propogated (disebarluaskan)

adapted to socio-cultural condition or

situation in the society
UNIVERSAL
To achieve the goals of the state,
the state makes rules of law and
regulations.
The laws and regulations must be
applied to everyone without
exception
D. UNITARY STATE OF THE REPUBLIC
OF INDONESIA (NKRI)
The Indonesian state is:
- a place for Indonesians to live and grow.
- The nation itself is a plural nation, plural
in tribes, race, origins, and religions.
- Indonesia is not built of and prioritizes
one certain ethnic or religion.
UNITARY STATE OF THE REPUBLIC OF
INDONESIA (NKRI)
Since Indonesia obtained its
independence, as stated in
1945 Indonesian Constitution, Indonesia
is a unitary state. It means that all regions
in Indonesia are controlled by the
central government in the capital city.
UNITARY STATE OF THE REPUBLIC OF
INDONESIA (NKRI)
The 1945 Constitution which was
legalized on August 18, 1945 stated
that “The Indonesian State is a Unitary
State in the form of Republic” (Article 1
act (1) of the 1945 Constitution).
UNITARY STATE OF THE REPUBLIC
OF INDONESIA (NKRI)
The Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia
(NKRI) was reduced into only being one of the
state aside from the others such as the Pasundan
State, East Indonesia State, East Sumatera State,
and Madura State.
UNITARY STATE OF THE REPUBLIC
OF INDONESIA (NKRI)
The Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia
(NKRI) is a sovereign state based on the 1945
Constitution. Indonesia is an unitary state with
democracy as the governmental system.
UNITARY STATE OF THE REPUBLIC
OF INDONESIA (NKRI)
Through the democracy system, central
government gives authority to local
government to manage and control the
region.
E. PURPOSE OF STATE
Dante Alighieri (1263 – 1321)
1. purpose of a state was to create world
peace;
2. the state has to build a world kingdom or
imperium.
 PURPOSE OF STATE

Immanuel Kant (1724 – 1804)

1. to appreciate the people’s rights
and freedom
2. to guarantee the legal position of
every citizen
PURPOSE OF STATE

Immanuel Kant (1724 – 1804)

- The only way to achieve the state’s goal
is to appreciate the people’s rights and
freedom by building a legal state
- All the state’s actions had to be based
on the law
PURPOSE OF UNITARY STATE OF THE
REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA (NKRI)
The national purpose of Indonesia had been written
down in preamble of the 1945 Constitution, as follows:
1. To protect all the people of Indonesia and the land
of Indonesia.
2. To improve the public or people’s welfare;
3. To advance the intellectual life of the people;
4. Participating in keeping the world’s order based on
freedom, abiding peace and social justice.
EXERCISE
1. Explain the meaning of the word “State”.
2. Explain two definitions of state.
3. Explain
a. the aim of state.
b. the meaning of coercive power
c. monopolistic power
4. What is the name and the form of Indonesian state
according to article 1 act 1 of the 1945 Constitution?
5. Why is Indonesia called an Unitary State?
A state must
have residents in
order for its
existence.
The mass of the
population living
within the state.
Based on the latest data, the number of
population of Indonesia is 267 million.
There are:
1. 1.340 Tribes
2. 546 Languages
3. 6 Religions
 The population of the age group 15-
64 years (productive age) reaches
183.36 million people or 68.7% of
the total population.

Ref: https://databoks.katadata.co.id/datapublish/2019/01/04/jumlah-penduduk-indonesia -2019-reaching -267 million-souls

It answers the question, “who
governs whom?”
It has no specific number
requirement.
A state must have land on which
its population can live. Based on
the data, Indonesia consists of
17.504 Islands.
Indonesian
State’s area is
1,905 million km²
 Demarcated area
(wilayah yang dibatasi)
that rightly belongs to
the population.
 Territory answers the question,
“where?”Territory consists of
terrestrial (wilyah daratan), fluvial
(sungai), maritime (laut) and aerial
(kawasan udara)
 It should be permanent and large
enough to be self-sufficing (berdiri
sendiri/otonom).
Government refers to the
agency to which the will of
the state is formulated,
expressed, and carried
out.
“Government”: the
institution through
which a society
makes and enforces
public policy.
“Government”: the
institution through
which a society
makes and enforces
public policy.
“Public policy”: anything
that a government decides
to do something for welfare
of the people in all aspects
such as taxation, defense,
education, health care, etc.
A state must have government to
maintain order and enforce public
policy – without government, there
would be chaos.
Indonesian government system is
democracy.
Each government exercises 3
types of power:
1. Legislative
2. Executive
3. Judicial
“Legislative”: the power to make
laws. In Indonesia, this power is
used by the House of
Representatives.
“Executive”: the power to enforce/
administer laws.
The leader of this group is
the President helped by
the ministers.
“Judicial”: the power to interpret
law (determine meaning of laws).
This power is used within the
court system. Judges run the
courts / the highest court is the
Supreme Court.
The easiest way to remember:
Legislative = Make Laws
Executive = Enforce Laws
Judicial = Judge (Interpret) Laws
The Fundamental Purposes of
Government:
1. Form a More Perfect Union: tie the
country and its people together.
2. Establish Justice: reasonable, fair,
and impartial laws for everyone.
3. Insure Domestic Tranquility: keeping
peace at home.
The Fundamental Purposes of
Government:
4. Provide for Common Defense: ensuring
the security of Indonesia.
5. Promote the General Welfare: provide
services that benefit the people.
6. Secure the Blessings of Liberty: ensure
freedom for everyone.
Sovereignty is the supreme power
of the state to command and
enforce obedience to its will from
the people within its jurisdiction
and corollarily to have freedom
from foreign control.
The word sovereignty is taken from
Latin word ‘Supernus’ means
supreme.
The supreme power of the state is
its sovereign power (kedaulatan).
Core meaning of the Sovereignty,
is supreme power or authority within
a territory.
So, a state is the political institution
in which sovereignty is embodied.
Eric Brahm Ph.D. of political science at
the University of Nevada defines
sovereignty as,
“THE POSSESSION OF ABSOLUTE
AUTHORITY WITHIN A BOUNDED
SPACE.”
Two aspects of Sovereignty

1. Internal
2. External
Two aspects of Sovereignty
1. Internal- internal sovereignty of
Indonesia state means that
Indonesia is powerful
internally.
It also implies the power of Indonesia
as a sate over individuals, citizens,
subjects and associations.
Two aspects of Sovereignty

2. External – external
sovereignty of Indonesian
state implies the freedom of
Indonesia from foreign control.
G. MAINTAINING THE INTEGRITY OF THE
REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA
1. Respect and uphold the ideology of nation, and the
1945 Constitution
2. Living the values of Pancasila
3. Live side by side
4. Accepting and respecting the differences : ethnics ,
races, religions, our original cultures and traditions, etc.
5. Place the national interests above all individual’s
6. Respecting the symbols of Indonesian state
THANK YOU!!!
EXERCISE
1. Mention four important elements of state.
2. Explain the meaning of:
a. sovereignty
b. internal sovereignty
c. external sovereignty
3. How important is the government system for a state’s
life?
4. Explain the meaning of territory for a state.
5. How can we maintain the integrity of NKRI? Write five
points.