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9 Indon. L. Rev. 83 (2019)
The Mandatory Use of National Language in Indonesia and Belgium: An Obstacle to International Contracting?

handle is hein.journals/indolawrev9 and id is 214 raw text is: Indonesia Law Review (2017) 3: 83 - 132 ISSN: 2088-8430 | e-ISSN: 2356-2129 THE MANDATORY USE OF NATIONAL LANGUAGE IN INDONESIA AND BELGIUM: AN OBSTACLE TO INTERNATIONAL CONTRACTING? Priskila Pratita Penasthika* *School of Law, Erasmus University Article Info Received: 13 June 2019 | Received in Revised Form: 26 July 2019 | Accepted: 26 July 2019 Corresponding author's email: penasthika(law eurnl Abstract Law Number 24 of 2009 on the National Flag, Language, Emblem, and Anthem of Indonesia requires that any contract involving an Indonesian party must be drafted in Indonesian. In applying this law, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Indonesia, in the Nine AM v. PT Bangun Karya Pratama Lestari judgment, annulled a loan agreement because it was considered in violation of the language requirement. Although this judgment claims to strengthen the use ofthe Indonesian language in contracts, it underscores the potential risk of voidance foreign parties face when they enter into agreements drafted in foreign languages with Indonesian counterparties. On the other side of the hemisphere, the Court ofJustice of the European Union in Anton Las v. PSA Antwerp NV and New Valmar BVBA v. Global Pharmacies Partner Health Sr drew the public's attention to the obligation to use Dutch in employment contracts and company documents as imposed in the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium. Despite Indonesia and Belgium being geographically farfrom each other, the abovementioned judgments underline the phenomenon that national language still influences cross-border legal relationships. This article seeks to explore the legal impact of the obligation to use a national language in contracts on the contracting parties'freedom. It further argues that this obligation impedes international contracting. Keywords: language, international contracting, cross-border transactions, Indonesia, Belgium. Abstrak Undang-undang Nomor 24 Tabun 2009 tentang Bendera, Bahasa, dan Lambang Negara, serta Lagu Kebangsaan mensyaratkan bahwa setiap kontrak yang melibatkan pihak Indonesia wajib ditulis dalam bahasa Indonesia. Dalam menerapkan undang-undang ini, Mahkamah Agung Republik Indonesia dalam putusannya untuk kasus NineAM melawan PTBangun Karta Pratama Lestari, membatalkan perjanjian kredit yang disepakati para pihak karena perjanjian tersebut dianggap melanggar persyaratan berbahasa Indonesia. Meskipun alasannya adalah untuk memperkuat penggunaan bahasa Indonesia dalam kontrak, putusan ini menunjukkan potensi risiko pembatalan kontrak yang disepakati dalam bahasa asing oleh pihak asing dan pihak Indonesia. Di belahan bumi lain, dalam kasus Anton Las melawan PSA Antwerp NV dan New Valmar BVBA melawan Global Pharmacies Partner Health Srl, Pengadilan Uni Eropa menarik perhatian publik karena memutus persoalan kewajiban penggunaan bahasa Belanda dalam kontrak tenaga kerja dan dokumen perusahaan yang diterapkan di wilayah berbahasa Belanda di Belgia. Meskipun Indonesia dan Belgia terpisah oleh jarakgeografis yang jauh, kedua putusan tersebut menunjukkanfenomena bahwa bahasa nasional masih memainkan peran yang penting dalam mempengaruhi hubungan hukum lintas-batas negara. Artikel ini mengeksplorasi dampak hukum dari kewajiban untuk menggunakan bahasa nasional dalam kontraksehubungan dengan kebebasan para pihak dalam berkontrak. Lebih lanjut artikel ini berpendapat bahwa kewajiban ini menghambat kontrak-kontrak internasional. Kata kunci: bahasa, kontrak internasional, transaksi lintas-batas, Indonesia, Belgia. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15742/ilrev.v7n3.251

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