House endorses regulations on terrorism after four months<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Security officials now have a firm legal basis to deal with
\nterrorism across the country as the House of Representatives
\n(DPR) endorsed two government regulations as antiterrorism bills.<\/p>\n
The bills, one on terrorism eradication, the other on the
\napplication of the antiterrorism draft for the Bali terrorist
\nattacks, were officially endorsed by legislators on Thursday,
\npaving the way for President Megawati Soekarnoputri to enact them
\ninto laws.<\/p>\n
During a House plenary meeting, two factions openly rejected
\nthe government regulations, while seven others accepted them with
\nsome notes.<\/p>\n
With the House endorsing the two bills, deliberations on two
\nother terrorism bills will be stopped. Minister of Justice and
\nHuman Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra said on Thursday the government
\nwould withdraw the bills as soon as possible.<\/p>\n
The bills were drafted in response to the deadly Bali bombing
\non Oct. 12 which killed at least 202 people and injured over 350
\nothers, mostly foreigners.<\/p>\n
Yusril said his ministry would soon prepare revisions to those
\nlaws in response to the demands by House factions.<\/p>\n
\"The bills on the revisions to those terrorism laws will not
\ntake much time,\" Yusril said on his acceptance speech.<\/p>\n
Some factions wanted article 28, which allows investigators to
\ndetain suspected terrorists for seven days without clear charges,
\nbe scrapped.<\/p>\n
Before legislators endorsed the bills, there was strong
\nopposition from two factions, the Reform faction consisting of
\nthe National Mandate Party (PAN) and the Justice Party (PK), and
\nthe Daulatul Ummah Party (PDU) faction consisting of small
\nIslamic parties.<\/p>\n
This opposition forced House deputy speaker Soetardjo
\nSoerjogoeritno, who presided over the meeting, to adjourn for an
\ninformal meeting with faction leaders.<\/p>\n
The half-an-hour meeting could not ease the tension, prompting
\nfactions to vote on those articles.<\/p>\n
A total of 220 legislators from seven factions voted for the
\nendorsement while members of the Reform and the PDU factions
\nrefused to vote.<\/p>\n
\"We are not responsible for the endorsement of those laws,\"
\nsaid Patrialis Akbar of the Reform faction.<\/p>\n
Some members of the Reform faction, Alvin Lie, Mutammimul Ula,
\nand Mashadi walked out of the meeting hall. Hartono Mardjono of
\nthe PDU faction did the same thing.<\/p>\n
Article 22 of the Constitution stipulates that in case of
\nemergency the President has the right to issue a government
\nregulation in lieu of law.<\/p>\n
Second paragraph of the article says that the government
\nregulation must get approval from the House of Representatives
\n(DPR) in the following sitting session.<\/p>\n
The third paragraph stipulates that should it get no approval
\nfrom the House, the government must revoke the policy.<\/p>\n
Imam Addaruqutni, spokesman of the Reform faction, said there
\nwas no reason to declare a state of emergency and to issue
\ngovernment regulations.<\/p>\n
He added that the government regulations should have been
\ndiscussed at a sitting session from Oct. 28 through Nov. 29,
\n2002.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/house-endorses-regulations-on-terrorism-after-four-months-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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