CAUPLI: NUS Law students connect with Indonesian peers in second CALS’ cross-border initiative

Learning about Indonesian culture, interacting with the country’s law students, observing criminal proceedings in a district court in Singapore—these were all part of a fruitful visit by NUS Law students to the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, from 26 to 29 September 2024.

The trip came under the auspices of the Centre for Asian Legal Studies (CALS) – Universitas Gadjah Mada Fakultas Hukum Peer Learning Initiative (CAUPLI), and is part of CALS’ wider initiative to promote the learning of the Indonesian legal system, laws and culture.

This is CAUPLI’s inaugural run, and the main highlight of the trip was a workshop titled “An Introduction to the Basics of Singapore Company Law”, which saw NUS Law students introducing 53 students from Universitas Gadjah Mada Fakultas Hukum (UGM Law) to the Singaporean legal system and various aspects of Singaporean company law. As Peer Tutors, the students not only confidently shared their knowledge, but were also able to draw appropriate comparisons with Indonesian company law.

On the visit, students from CAUPLI made a trip to the Sleman District Court, where they were shown around the various courtrooms and given an opportunity to engage in a lively discussion with the court’s judges on a variety of issues. They were also given the opportunity to observe a criminal matter, where they learnt how criminal deliberations were made through a criminal bench of three judges, rather than the one-man coram that is seen in Singapore.

They also learnt that the district courts in Indonesia have jurisdiction to hear serious criminal matters such as murder, unlike the position in Singapore where capital matters are commenced in the General Division of the High Court. Their visit to the Sleman District Court was facilitated by CALS Research Associate and CAUPLI’s Co-Project Advisor, Ratu Durotun Nafisah.

Throughout the four-day visit, the students had ample opportunities to interact with their counterparts from UGM Law, informally learning more about the differences between Indonesian and Singaporean laws.

Reflecting on his experience, Xu Chong ’26 observed that “Indonesia’s embrace of legal pluralism, with its coexistence of state law and adat (customary law), allows for significant regional autonomy, particularly in matters concerning family and land rights”. In contrast, Singapore’s unitary legal system, “which emphasises uniformity and centralisation”, leaves little room for customary practices.

For his part, Bryan Liow ’26 shared his views on the different legal education that Singaporean and Indonesian students receive. He noted that the idea of moots in both countries are quite different, elaborating that as moots in Singapore are modelled after international moots, Singaporean law students will only ever play the role of appellant/respondent. This stands in contrast with the mooting experience of Indonesian law students, which require teams to cover roles ranging from judges to lawyers and even the court administrator, he explained.

The students also experienced Indonesian culture, visiting the Museum Sonobudoyo to watch a cultural performance and the Raminten Cabaret Show.

This visit to Yogyakarta came on the back of a reciprocal workshop held by UGM Law students. Titled “An Introduction to the Basics of Indonesian Company Law”, the online workshop saw 47 NUS Law students in attendance. Together, both workshops enabled Singaporean and Indonesian law students to build a beneficial and conducive environment to learn about the civil law and common law systems respectively.

Kang Zhi Qing ’25, CAUPLI’s Project Director, said, “Company law is a dynamic field that reflects economic developments, cultural contexts and social values in our respective countries.” She expressed her hope that, through CAUPLI, law students can deepen their understanding of company law’s complexity so they may be better positioned to overcome the challenges that might exist in the future.

Beyond the legal aspects, the Peer Tutors also honed their personal skills through conducting  the workshop on site. Andre Chua ’26 observed that the Q&A segment at the end of his session “reinforced the importance of anticipating difficult questions and thinking critically on the spot”. Yeow Yu I ’26, in contrast, shared that she had “learnt the importance of reading the room and pacing [herself] according to the audience’s energy levels”. Ultimately, she stated, “being genuine and allowing my personality to shine through made a significant impact in allowing me to feel more comfortable in front of everybody”.

This initiative will run every year and recruitment is done yearly to engage students and further develop their interest in Asian law. There is no prerequisite for the students to join and recruitment is done based on interests and commitment to the project.

CALS’ peer learning initiatives also includes CATPLI, a partnership with Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand. After 3 successful runs of similar workshops and reciprocal workshops conducted by students, CATPLI (known as the Centre for Asian Legal Studies – Thammasat University Faculty of Law Peer Learning Initiative) is in the midst of its 4th edition, covering topics such Singapore contract, company and tort law.

CALS is excited to partner various universities in the region and cultivate students’ interests in comparative law. For more information, find out more about CAUPLI at this link, CALS-UGM Peer Learning Initiative (CAUPLI), and CATPLI at CALS-TU Peer Learning Initiative (CATPLI).