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View all search resultsPrabowo embraces criticism but new penal code draws free speech concerns
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An activist shouts slogans on Dec. 5, 2022, during a protest outside the Senayan legislative complex in Central Jakarta, as the House of Representatives is set to pass a new Criminal Code (KUHP) that will ban sex outside marriage, cohabitation between unmarried couples, insulting the president and expressing views counter to the national ideology. (Reuters/Willy Kurniawan)
P
resident Prabowo Subianto has said that he welcomes criticism as a necessary part of governance. But the newly effective Criminal Code (KUHP) that makes insulting a sitting president and the government a crime has raised concern over restrictions on criticism.
Speaking at a national Christmas celebration on Monday, Prabowo said criticism was essential for evaluating government policies and expressed gratitude to those who had criticized him.
“When I am corrected, I see it as me being helped, me being protected. Sometimes we do not like being criticized or corrected, but in fact it helps safeguard us,” he said.
Prabowo cited criticism accusing him of reviving militarism under his administration, saying it prompted him to reflect and consult legal experts to assess the limit of an authoritarian leadership.
His remarks came days after the new penal code took effect on Jan. 2, which has reignited debate over some lèse-majesté provisions that critics say could threaten freedom of expression.
Articles 218 and 219 stipulate a punishment of up to three years for anyone found guilty of “attacking the honor or dignity” of the president and vice president and up to four years if the insult is spread online. The provisions say it is not an offense if the action is carried out “in the public interest or in self-defense”.
Articles 240 and 241 penalize insults against the government and state institutions that may provoke public disorder, including those disbursed through electronic platforms.
