House welcomes Intelligence Law material examination

The House of Representatives says it will welcome proposals for the recently ratified Intelligence Law to be taken to the Constitutional Court for a material examination.

“A material examination is not a problem; that is a right,” House deputy speaker Priyo Budi Santoso said Wednesady, as quoted by kompas.com.

His statement came following a plan by the Advocacy Coalition, consisting of various human rights and security watch groups, to have the bill examined by the court.

Priyo stated that, while deliberating the bill, House members had considered and accommodated civil society opinion, and he denied that the authority given to the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) would pose any risks to the public.

“We need to give them [BIN] a legal umbrella, which will guarantee national safety and allow for the prevention of terror and civil unrest caused by criminals and irresponsible people,” he said.

Human rights NGO Kontras has criticized the bill, saying that the overarching authority given to the intelligence service would make BIN the strongest institution in the country by giving intelligence officers the freedom to spy on any and all citizens in the name of national security.