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Investment priority a threat to civil liberties: Experts
When President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo began his second term in office in October 2019, he promised strong economic growth through massive infrastructure development and investment. But his failure to mention civil liberties in his inaugural speech sent a strong warning to human rights watchdogs about what to expect in the next five years.
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The People's Movement (Gebrak) labor group marches toward the House of Representatives in Jakarta on Jan. 13 to protest the omnibus bill on job creation. (JP/Moch. Fiqih Prawira)
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peakers at an Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) seminar on Monday warned that free speech may be in peril as the government pushed for more foreign and domestic investment in its pursuit of high growth – which Jokowi says is necessary to create jobs and increase incomes.
“Freedom of expression is essential, as it is key for us to achieve our other rights,” said YLBHI chair Asfinawati at the seminar.
But the writing was already on the wall that civil liberties were under threat when two violent protests erupted just weeks before the end of Jokowi's first term.
Tens of thousands of people took to Jakarta's streets in September to protest the government and the House of Representatives' move to pass two controversial bills: One deemed to "muzzle" the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the other on a new criminal code that would curb many public freedoms.
That same month saw widespread protests in several cities in Papua and West Papua, prompted by the racial discrimination and treatment of more than 40 Papuan students in Surabaya, East Java. Some of the protests turned deadly, which led to renewed demands for a referendum on self-determination in two of Indonesia’s easternmost provinces.
It is unclear whether the student-led protests in Jakarta were in vain: The revised KPK Law came into force in October, but the Criminal Code bill, which presents a danger to free speech, has been sent back to the drawing board for more revisions.
Now, another possible contentious issue is Jokowi’s plan to introduce two omnibus laws, one on taxation and another on job creation, to ease investment. Labor unions and activists warn that these legislations could trample on freedoms, including labor rights and protection.
