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House paves way for omnibus’ return with revision of 2011 law
Labor groups plan to assemble next month to protest new policies that could revive the “omnibus” legislative vehicle, wherein a variety of provisions are drafted, debated and passed as part of one overarching piece of legislation.
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Workers stage a rally in front of the House of Representatives in Jakarta, on Aug. 25, 2020. They expressed their opposition to the omnibus bill on job creation and called on the government to do more to prevent mass layoffs during the COVID-19 pandemic. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
T
he House of Representatives passed a revision to a 2011 law on Tuesday to give lawmakers the authority to pass omnibus laws, opening the way for the controversial and previously “procedurally unconstitutional” Job Creation Law to be rectified and implemented.
Over the course of his leadership, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has gone to great lengths to cut red tape in an effort to make the country economically nimbler, despite being in charge of a large and process-heavy bureaucracy. In doing so, he has irked some interest groups, particularly labor and environmental advocates, as well as certain human rights organizations.
With a powerful and pliant government coalition, Jokowi has managed to push through contentious legislation and has installed aides and loyalists across various agencies.
Most recently, the legislature passed a revision of the 2011 Drafting of Laws and Regulations Law, making good on an agreement with the executive reached before the House’s Idul Fitri recess.
During the House plenary session, deputy Legislative Body (Baleg) chairman M. Nurdin said 19 changes had been made to the 2011 law. All but one of the political factions in the House agreed to the revision, with only the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) opposing the bill.
Most of the changes sought to provide lawmakers with a legal framework to formulate laws using the so-called “omnibus” method, which entails the compilation and passage of a variety of provisions under a single piece of legislation.
Speaking at the session on behalf of the executive, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said the law’s revision was a step forward in forming legislation that was “more dynamic and progressive”.
