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House to consider holding public consultations on Criminal Code revisions
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University students protest against revisions to the Criminal Code in front of the House of Representatives compound on Sept. 23, 2019. (JP/Donny Fernando)
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awmakers are set to decide whether and how to hold public consultations on controversial revisions to the Criminal Code as they return from recess on Thursday.
House of Representatives Commission III overseeing legal affairs and human rights is scheduled to discuss in an internal meeting on Thursday what mechanism to use to gauge public responses to the bill, according to Commission III chairman Bambang Wuryanto of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo earlier instructed his ministers to accommodate public opinion with regard to certain highly debated provisions in the draft revision.
“We are aware that people – and the President – want [to see meaningful public participation in deliberations on the Criminal Code amendment],” Bambang said.
This means lawmakers will abandon a plan made before their recess to fast-track deliberations by only hearing opinions on the bill from each of the House factions – and not the public.
The Law and Human Rights Ministry submitted the latest draft of the bill to the Commission III shortly before lawmakers went into recess last month, claiming that it had amended 14 provisions that had been widely considered excessive.
But critics said the articles in question had been left largely intact and could still infringe upon civil liberties, including articles that criminalized insulting a sitting president, “fornication” and non-marital cohabitation.
