Karin Franken, coordinator of Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN) Domestic Indonesia, said the House Legislation Body’s (Baleg) decision to reject the proposed bill was unjustified.

She also criticized the comment made by Firman Soebagyo, a Baleg member from the Golkar Party, who downplayed the proposal by calling it unnecessary.

“We read in the media that one of Baleg members [said], ‘Don’t bother, just remove it, it’s not important’, and they said they have to protect the consumers and traders, which doesn’t make sense,” said Karin in front of the House building, as quoted by kompas.com.

Karin emphasized that she and other animal rights activists would continue advocating for legislation banning the consumption of dog and cat meat.

“We will not stay silent. We will continue to fight for this,” she added.

Baleg rejected on Monday the proposed bill banning the trade of dog and cat meat into the medium-term 2025-2029 national legislation program, the so-called long list, saying that certain ethnic groups in Indonesia still consume dog meat.

“We, the House, of course are listening to the public [will] as conveyed by the NGOs,” Firman said during a Baleg meeting, as reported by kompas.com.

“However, not all suggestions from NGOs will be accepted and included in the long list,” he continued.

Baleg vice chairman Sturman Panjaitan from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) agreed with the argument.

“Don’t use the dog meat trade argument. Animal welfare and protection would be enough, including dogs, and we will discuss it there,” he said.

Meanwhile, Adrian Hane, legal and advocacy manager of Dog Meat Free Indonesia (DMFI), also expressed disappointment over Baleg’s stance, which he felt prioritized the interests of dog and cat meat consumers.

“We are raising public concerns about the dog and cat meat trade issue in Indonesia. Many cases have occurred, and almost every country in the world has banned it,” he said.

Adrian added that Indonesia should follow the example of South Korea, which banned the consumption of dog and cat meat earlier in 2024.

“South Korea issued a regulation banning it this year, and nearly 85 percent of South Koreans consumed dog meat,” he said.

Animal rights activist and Jakarta Legislative Council member Hardiyanto Kenneth from the PDI-P shared that same sentiment.

"As an animal lover, I find it odd and strongly oppose the Baleg's decision to remove the bill on the ban of domestic animal cruelty and the trade of dog and cat meat,” he said on Thursday, as quoted by detik.com.

“I just question, what’s going on? It’s funny, how could it be removed?"

Hardiyanto promised to continue advocating for a regulation in Jakarta that bans dog meat consumption in line with existing laws.