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Delay penal code bill passage, critics say
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University students protest against the revision of the Criminal Code (KUHP) in front of the House of Representatives compound, on Monday, Sept. 23, 2019. (JP/Donny Fernando)
T
he latest Criminal Code bill still contains provisions that could be used to curtail civil liberties and should not be passed into law yet, critics say, as the House of Representatives and the government aim to approve the legislation within the next few days.
House Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad confirmed on Sunday that the Tuesday plenary meeting was scheduled to pass the bill that would replace the century-old law inherited from the Dutch colonial regime.
A coalition of some 40 civil groups that have been keeping tabs on the bill rejected the plan because it still maintains some controversial articles, from the ones that criminalize insults to the president to those that ban non-Pancasila ideologies, although the government said it had softened the provisions.
"[We demand lawmakers -- and the government] to delay the passing of the bill. Instead, [they must] reopen discussions to improve [some problematic articles] so any new revisions would not threaten our democracy," Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) chairman Muhamad Isnur said.
Citra Referandum of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta), which is also part of the coalition of civil groups, said it rejected the passing of the bill until problematic provisions were revoked. “We appreciated some improvement to certain provisions. But there are still problematic articles in the latest draft, such as presidential insults, ban on ideologies that contradict [Indonesia's founding ideology of] Pancasila, cohabitation and many others.”
Still problematic
