New Aceh council to rethink controversial stoning bylaw

Hotli Simanjuntak ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Banda Aceh   |  Fri, 10/23/2009 12:11 PM  |  The Archipelago

The newly inaugurated members of the Aceh Legislative Council are set to revise the sharia bylaw passed by former legislators that stipulate, among others, stoning to death for adulterers.

"The article on stoning needs to be revised most urgently because it is not suitable for the community in Aceh, despite the implementation of Islamic sharia law in the province," acting legislative speaker Hasbi Abdullah told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

He added the people of Aceh were not ready for such a bylaw because it went against the spirit of basic human rights.

"Moreover, Aceh is currently still being supervised by, and the focus of, international attention," he said.

"We don't want Aceh to be regarded as a place that is not friendly to the international community and lax on upholding human rights."

The Aceh legislature will also amend three other sharia bylaws previously approved by the former legislature.

"The three bylaws passed by the previous legislature are ticking time bombs that will explode if we fail to thoroughly deliberate them, and this is the duty of the new legislature," Hasbi said.

However, he declined to say when the bylaws would be deliberated.

"We're currently still busy discussing the rules of order and setting up commissions in the legislature, so we have yet to do anything about it now," he said.

Hasbi is a former Aceh Freedom Movement (GAM) guerilla. He was nominated by the Aceh Party, founded by former GAM combatants.

In the 2009 legislative elections, former GAM combatants dominated the legislature at the provincial and regency levels, through the Aceh Party.

The party now has legislators in 36 of the 69 seats at the provincial council.

Hasbi said almost all new legislators had agreed to revise the controversial bylaws, especially the one on stoning.

"Every Aceh legislative councilor is of the same opinion: to amend the bylaw immediately," he said.

The council has also placed a bylaw on the economy on its priority list, pointing out it is regarded as being very crucial for the people of Aceh, particularly to raise people's welfare.

The bylaw on stoning was passed by the previous council just a few days before its term ended.

It met with widespread disdain and criticism from the public, both in Aceh and elsewhere in Indonesia.

"We've got a mess here from the previous legislature that needs cleaning up in the form of this bylaw," Hasbi said.

"We must be ready to face the consequences from those who are in favor of or against the implementation of the bylaw."

The Aceh provincial administration has yet to endorse the controversial bylaw, having already gone over the 30-day period in which to sign off on the bylaw.

The administration deems the inclusion of the article on stoning a form of torture, despite it being allowed under the strict sharia law imposed across the strongly Islamic province.

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