On Tuesday, 9 February 2021, UGM Press, in collaboration with the Faculty of Law (FH) UGM and the UGM Publishing and Publication Agency (BPP UGM), held a book review event as part of the 75th Anniversary (Dies Natalis) celebration of FH UGM. Conducted virtually, the event reviewed two books written by FH UGM lecturers and published by UGM Press. The two books were entitled Bernegara Hukum Tanpa Budaya Malu (Building a State Based on Law Without a Culture of Shame) by Prof. Dr. Sudjito, S.H., M.Si., and Transformasi Lembaga Keuangan Konvensional ke Dalam Lembaga Keuangan Syariah (Transformation of Conventional Financial Institutions into Islamic Financial Institutions) by Dr. Khotibul Umam, S.H., LL.M.
The publication of these two books represents a concrete manifestation of the integration between academic expertise and the normative and empirical findings of FH UGM lecturers through the implementation of the university’s three pillars of higher education (Tri Dharma Perguruan Tinggi). The writing, publication, and distribution processes of both books through UGM Press were made possible through the support of the Faculty as a stakeholder committed to prioritizing quality, potential contributions, and novelty. This commitment reflects the importance of producing scholarly works by FH UGM’s academic community to support the Faculty’s advancement and wider recognition. As part of the Dies Natalis celebration series, this book review event aimed to disseminate and promote scholarly works written by FH UGM lecturers while enhancing participants’ knowledge and understanding of democracy, the rule of law, and legal culture in Indonesia. The event was attended by academics, practitioners, and alumni, with a total of 96 participants joining the six-hour session via Zoom and the FH UGM Knowledge Channel livestream.
The event was officially opened by the Dean of FH UGM, Prof. Dr. Sigit Riyanto, S.H., LL.M., who expressed his appreciation to all parties involved in supporting the book review event. On this occasion, the Dean also officially launched Justicia Book Corner. Justicia Book Corner is a web-based platform that promotes scholarly works produced by the FH UGM academic community and can be accessed widely by the public. Through this platform, it is expected that more parties will be encouraged to contribute and that the works published can serve as valuable references in addressing national issues. Similar to the two books discussed during the event, the University hopes that more FH UGM publications will become references and sources of inspiration at both national and international levels in the future.
The event continued with remarks from the Head of the UGM Publishing and Publication Agency (BPP UGM), Widodo, S.P., M.Sc., Ph.D., who stated that over the past ten years, FH UGM had published 21 book titles through UGM Press. Moving forward, UGM Press welcomes more manuscripts from members of the UGM academic community for publication. UGM Press also expressed its openness to collaborating in developing the newly launched Justicia Book Corner at FH UGM.
Divided into two sessions, the book review event was hosted by Riandhika Adityawan, A.Md., from the UGM Public Relations Office. The event featured both book authors, two reviewers, and two discussion moderators. The first session was moderated by Dr. Hartini, S.H., M.Si. During this session, Prof. Dr. Sudjito, S.H., M.Si., the author of Bernegara Hukum Tanpa Budaya Malu, explained the background behind the writing of the book, its significance, and his hopes for the publication, which was first released in 2017. The book is a compilation of the author’s articles previously published in various print media. A total of 38 articles were compiled into one volume, addressing contemporary issues that remain relevant for reflection in the present and the future.
Prof. Dr. H. Ahmad Syafii Maarif, founder of Maarif Institute, served as the reviewer in the first session. He highlighted various challenges faced by Indonesia, which he argued were largely rooted in the lack of moral and character education among the nation’s younger generations. Prof. Dr. H. Ahmad Syafii Maarif also emphasized the importance of academics producing popular scientific writings that can be easily understood by the wider public.
In the second session, Dr. Khotibul Umam, S.H., LL.M., author of Transformasi Lembaga Keuangan Konvensional ke Dalam Lembaga Keuangan Syariah, presented his work. Moderated by Vina Berliana Kimberly, S.H., the session discussed that the book was based on the author’s doctoral dissertation research. By benchmarking practices in banking institutions, the author examined trends in the non-bank financial industry, which follows a similar principle: regulations provide opportunities for Islamic business units within non-bank financial institutions to transform into Islamic financial institutions. According to Dr. Taufik Hidayat, M.Ec., Director of Islamic Financial Services at the National Committee for Islamic Economy and Finance (KNEKS), who served as both facilitator and reviewer in the second session, the publication of this book was highly relevant to current developments in the banking sector, particularly with the establishment of Bank Syariah Indonesia (BSI).
The discussions and question-and-answer sessions in each segment demonstrated participants’ enthusiasm toward the topics explored in both books. In the future, similar events will continue to be encouraged. As Indonesia’s oldest academic publisher, UGM Press remains open to facilitating discussions through book review events. Beyond serving as a promotional platform, book review events held in collaboration with relevant university units are expected to stimulate the emergence of new ideas and perspectives, which may become the foundation for producing high-quality books to be published by UGM Press. [KIKI-BPP]
