T

he House of Representatives Legislation Body (Baleg) has completed a list of 40 priority bills for the 2016 National Legislation Program (Prolegnas), including several controversial ones that may impact businesses and anti-graft campaigning.

Bills on the prohibition of alcoholic beverages as well as on banking will remain a priority despite opposition voiced by businesses last year, concerned they would create business uncertainty and too easily land people in jail for minor violations.

The banking bill is particularly worrying as it could also limit the expansion of foreign banks at a time when Indonesia is in desperate need of foreign funding to build infrastructure and to keep sufficient foreign exchange reserves.

Both the banking and alcohol bills were among the 40 priority bills scheduled to be passed last year.

Deliberation of the bills, however, was put on hold because the House spent most of its time and energy politically taming the new administration of President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo. Only three of last year'€™s priority bills were passed.

This year'€™s priority bills consist of 22 carried over from previous periods and 18 new bills. The House is slated to endorse the priory bills during its upcoming plenary meeting, scheduled for this week or next week.

'€œThere is no turning back. The government, along with the House of Representatives and the Regional Representatives Council (DPD), have agreed on the 40 new priority bills,'€ said Baleg deputy chairman Firman Soebagyo on Monday.

A revision of the law regulating the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is also high on the agenda.

Legislators have demanded the KPK be limited to another 12 years of operation and that its wiretapping authority be reduced.

A revision to the existing 2003 Terrorism Law has also been included in the list after being overlooked last year.

After the Jan. 14 terrorist attack in Central Jakarta that left four civilians and four perpetrators dead, policymakers have been pushed to patch holes in the legislation regulating counterterrorism.

According to Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly, the National Police will be given more authority to combat possible terror attacks by stripping the citizenship of Indonesian nationals fighting for the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria and Iraq.

'€œWe also need a more comprehensive deradicalization program for terrorists in detention centers. Officials are not enough. We need more professionals,'€ Yasonna said.

In a hearing with House Commission III overseeing security and legal affairs, National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti proposed several priorities to be included in the revisions.

'€œUnder the existing law, we cannot catch, arrest or interrogate alleged terrorists unless they have committed an attack, or if they are carrying explosive materials,'€ he said.

'€œWe cannot question terror suspects if they are still at the stage of surveying intended attack locations, recruiting people to be involved in attacks or organizing terrorist groups. These are the flaws that need to be patched up in the planned revision,'€ he said.
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