UGM family and Indonesia’s legal sector lost one of their professors, Prof. Dr. RM Sudikno Mertokusumo S.H., who passed away on Thursday. The departure of the professor emeritus of Universitas Gadjah Mada was witnessed by hundreds of mourners. He passed away at the age of 86 years on Thursday (1/12) at 4:15 a.m at Panti Rapih hospital because of illness.
Before buried in Sawitsari cemetery, the body was laid in state in the UGM Hall to get the last compliments from UGM. Family representative, Prof. Dr. Nindya Pramono, S.H, M.S said that the family sincerely released the deceased. He said the Faculty of Law lost one senior figures who had disciplined and good manners as well as role models. "He became an example for all of us who are still young," he said.
Prof. Sudikno was born in Surabaya, December 7, 1924 serving as professor from year 1984 to 1989 and became professor emeritus in 1995 until the end of his life. The awardee of Satya Badge in 1967 has served as Chairman of Jogjakarta District Court in 1958, Chairman of Bandung District Court in 1970 and until before his death taught at Faculty of Law of UGM and Atma Jaya University, Yogyakarta.
Vice Dean for Academic Affairs of Faculty of Law, Dr. Sigit Riyanto, SH, LLM., said that the deceased was a law expert who was all-round, academician, judge and experienced practitioner in the field of law. "He was chairman of Jogjakarta Palace legal team until the end of his life and his role was vital in guarding the Palace in terms of legal perspective," he said.
In addition, Prof. Sudikno contributed very significantly to education. One of which is a book which becomes Faculty of Law student’s reference in Indonesia. One of the books published is Mengenal Hukum (Sebuah Pengantar ) – Getting to Know Law (An Introduction), published in 1986. "His book has been around more than 30 years and is still referred to up to now, it is mainly associated with the law and civil theory," he said.
Sigit Riyanto himself had been taught by Prof. Sudikno when he was a student. In their interaction, he considered Prof. Sudikno a decent figure, wise but also intelligent. He also gave an example to students and colleagues to become academician as well as social being. "He teaches the fundamentals in understanding the science of law," he added.
Meanwhile, Senior Vice Rector for Administration, Planning, Development and Human Resources, Ir. Adam Pamudji Rahardjo, M.Sc., Ph.D said the entire academic society expressed condolence to Prof. Sudikno’s family. Prof. Sudikno is a figure with many achievements and dedication. He had developed ideas and given energy to the legal world. "We can emulate his high spirit in spreading knowledge. Hopefully, his contribution woud become an example for future generations," he said.