TWO ASPECTS OF THE TERM "LAW"

At the outset of our endeavour, we want to draw attention to two different meanings of the term 'law' itself. The different views on rule of law in the countries under examination can be partly traced back to terminology. Most European languages have two different words for the English and the American word 'law'. The first term has the meaning of the word 'Gezetz' in German, 'Loi' in French, 'Wet' in Dutch, 'Ley' in Spanish (compare 'Undang-undang' in Indonesia), In all those languages there also exists another term for 'law', which expresses a higher nation of law and is reflected in the word 'Recht' in German and Dutch, 'Droit' in French, 'Derecho' in Spanish ('Hukum' in Indonesia).

This Law in a higher sense is related to the rights of 'Human Rights' in the sense of higher rights or principal rights.

Hence we can derive two different manifestation/meaning for the Rule of Law :

• Rule of law in the narrow, which means a state based on the principle that the government is bound by rules that have been written and announced beforehand (compare hereafter the thin conception of rule of law).
  
• Rule of law in broad sense, which means an ideal for good government with in it the dimension of good Law or Right. In this concept great empasis is being laid on the constitution and on judicial review (compare hereafter the thick conception of rule of law).

PRINSIP-PRINSIP NEGARA HUKUM (rule of law)

Negara hukum adalah negara yang menempatkan hukum pada tempat yang tertinggi, yang meliputi perlindungan terhadap hak asasi manusia, pemisahan kekuasaan, setiap tindakan pemerintah didasarkan pada peraturan perundang-undangan, dan adanya peradilan yang berdiri sendiri.

Prinsip-prinsip negara hukum meliputi hal-hal sebagai berikut :

• pengakuan dan perlindungan terhadap hak asasi manusia yang mengandung persamaan dalam bidang politik, hukum, sosial, ekonomi dan kebudayaan;
• peradilan yang bebas dan tidak memihak serta tidak dipengaruhi oleh sesuatu kekuasaan atau kekuatan apa pun, dan
• legalitas dalam arti hukum.

Law state is state placing law at highest place, which cover protection to human rights, dissociation of power, every government action relied on law and regulation, and existence of selfsupporting jurisdiction.

Principles law state cover the followings:

• protection and confession to pregnant human right of equation in the field of politics, law, social, economic an culture;
• unbiased and free jurisdiction and also do not bother by something strenght or power anything, and
• legality in law meaning.