Systematical legal research in Indonesia has only developed in the last few years in conjunction with the implementation of the country's national law development program which is aimed at the creation of a new legal system. Efforts to develop a new and national legal system to replace the existing system inherited from the colonial period actually started as early as 1958 when the government set up the Institute for National Law Development. It is a matter of much regret that despite the good start it made and the favourable atmosphere it enjoyed, the Institute ultimately did not produce any significant results which could form the basis for a new national legal system. The deterioration of the political climate in the sixties made it impossible for the Institute to carry out its task properly.