The Jakarta Post
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsBill may give police authority to prevent 'community diseases'
An article in the controversial omnibus bill on job creation that broadens the scope of the National Police's authority has raised concerns among activists and observers who fear the bill will increase the potential for abuses of power.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Set as preferred source
A
n article in the controversial omnibus bill on job creation that broadens the scope of the National Police's authority has raised concerns among activists and observers who fear the bill will increase the potential for abuses of power.
Article 82 of the omnibus bill grants the police the authority to take action to prevent and contain the spread of so-called “community disease” as well as to monitor the propagation of beliefs that are deemed to undermine the unity of the nation.
The article does not provide a detailed definition of “community disease”, but mentions homelessness, prostitution, gambling, drug abuse, drunkenness, human trafficking, loan sharking and extortion.
The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) has spoken out against the bill, expressing concern it would be used as a justification for the violation of human rights and to suppress minority groups.
“A detailed explanation of what is meant be ‘community disease’ is not provided. The bill also does not explain which ‘beliefs’ could potentially threaten the unity of the nation,” YLBHI spokesperson, Siti Rakhma said during a webinar on Sunday.
“I am afraid that any form of mass protest will be considered a ‘community disease’ or as propagating beliefs that could undermine national unity,” she added. “The bill could also pose a threat to the rights of minority groups.”
Ahmadiyah spokesperson and activist, Yendra Budiana, echoed Siti’s concerns, saying that “followers of Ahmadiyah have long been persecuted by the authorities and the police, who claim that Ahmadiyah is a so-called ‘community disease’.”
