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Critics lambast Criminal Code bill for 'morality' articles. But House seeks to pass bill soon
Critics say contentious KUHP bill articles 'threaten civil rights'
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Attempts to revise the KUHP, a legacy from colonial rule, have been ongoing since the 1990s. (JP/Budhi Button)
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s the 2014-2019 term at the House of Representatives comes to an end, the legislative body and the government are resolved to pass the revised Criminal Code (KUHP) bill before the end of the month, seeking to conclude the decades-old attempt to modernize the country’s criminal law.
Critics, however, have called on lawmakers to put a brake on the plan as they fear that some contentious articles in the bill ─ if passed ─ would pose threats to civil rights, including freedom of expression and citizens’ right to privacy.
The latest version of the bill, a copy of which was obtained by The Jakarta Post, still includes several articles that aim to regulate morality, criminalizing, among other things, consensual sex between an unmarried couple, cohabitation, abortion and the promotion of contraception.
Other problematic articles include those that seek to prevent contempt of court and restore defamation of the president as a criminal offense.
Deputy chairman of House Commission III overseeing legal affairs Desmond J. Mahesa said lawmakers and the government still needed to discuss several issues in the coming weeks before the bill was expected to be passed during a plenary meeting on Sept. 24.
He said the House’s KUHP bill working committee and the Law and Human Rights Ministry were committed to speeding up the deliberation and that they shared a similar understanding on the issues of public concern.
“Looking at the progress so far, I am optimistic that we can pass [the revised KUHP] before the end of the [House] term,” the Gerindra Party lawmaker said.
