The West Jakarta District Court, under Decision No.
451/Pdt.G/PN.Jkt.Bar, ruled that an agreement involving an
Indonesian entity which was not drawn up in the Indonesian language
was null and void. The panel of judges was of the opinion that Law
No. 24 of 2009 on the National Flag, Language, Emblem and Anthem
("Law No. 24/2009") requires the
Indonesian language to be used for any agreement involving an
Indonesian party and any failure to comply will cause the agreement
to be considered not to have a lawful cause as required under Art.
1335 jo.1337 of the Indonesian Civil Code. The requirement to have
an agreement drawn up in Indonesian under Law No. 24/2009 has
caused significant debate in the Indonesian legal community, in
particular with regard to its legal impact. Some follow the
conservative point of view and translate agreements into the
Indonesian language, while others are comfortable with including an
article under which the parties agree to translate the
