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Lawmakers propose to block ex-Hizbut Tahrir members from running for office
The draft bill, which revises and codifies three prevailing election-related laws, also explicitly singles out the long-defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).
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Workers from the Depok General Elections Commission (KPU) stack ballot boxes at a warehouse in Cimanggis district, Depok, West Java, on Nov. 25, 2020. (JP/P.J. Leo)
T
he House of Representatives Commission II, which oversees home affairs, has proposed a draft regulation that would ban former members of the now-defunct Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) to run for elected office, in the latest move against the disbanded organization.
The latest draft of the bill stipulates that former HTI members cannot run for any kind of electoral contest, either at the regional or national level, and all election candidates must formally present a letter from the police proving that they have no association with HTI and any other banned organizations.
The draft bill, which revises and codifies three prevailing election-related laws, also explicitly singles out the long-defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) for the ban, depriving its former members further of the right to run for public office.
The 2017 Elections Law prohibits former PKI members from running for president and vice president but not for legislative elections at the national and local levels. The Regional Elections Law, which regulates the elections of governor, regents and mayors, does not contain the ban.
Election observers criticized the provision, with Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem) researcher Fadli Ramadhanil saying, “Banning former members of certain organizations could encourage [discrimination].”
Commission II lawmakers have sent the draft document to the House's Legislative Body (Baleg), which will offer suggestions and scrutinize the draft to ensure it is aligned with other laws.
It will be formalized as a final draft of a bill listed under the House's initiative after a vote in a plenary session. However, the bill’s deliberation and passing into law might take years depending on how complicated the discussions will be.
