saksi

Saksi is a noun in Indonesian and Malay meaning a person who has observed an event and can provide testimony. In legal contexts, a saksi testifies in court, giving statements about what they observed or know about a case. In everyday language, saksi can refer to eyewitnesses in news reports or investigations, or more generally to someone who bears witness to an event.

Etymology: The word originates from the Arabic shahid, meaning witness, and entered Malay and Indonesian through historical contact with Arabic-speaking communities. The sense broadened to include both ordinary observation and formal testimony in law.

In legal practice, there are different kinds of saksi. Saksi fakta testifies about factual observations, such as what a person saw or heard. Saksi ahli is an expert witness who provides specialized knowledge, for example a medical or forensic expert. In many jurisdictions, witnesses may be sworn in and obligated to tell the truth; false testimony can carry penalties for perjury.

In culture and media, the term is common in reporting and narrative, e.g., eyewitness accounts by saksi mata. The concept of witness plays a central role in civil and criminal procedures, as testimonies can corroborate evidence or raise reasonable doubt.

In translation and usage, saksi translates to "witness" in English and is used across Indonesian and Malay media, law, and everyday speech. The word remains a core term for describing someone who bears testimony about events they observed.