House, govt make progress on bill debate<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives and the government
\nhave reached an agreement on 12 principles to be included in the
\nbill on freedom of expression.<\/p>\n
Sutradara Ginting, a member of House Commission I on
\ninformation and law, said that he was optimistic the draft law
\nwould be in favor of democracy.<\/p>\n
\"If the bill turns out to be 'anti-democracy', the public is
\nentitled to slam the House,\" he said after attending a closed
\nsession to deliberate the bill with Minister of Justice and
\nMinister of Defense and Security\/Armed Forces Commander Gen.
\nWiranto here on Friday.<\/p>\n
Sutradara praised the two ministers' democratic stance in
\ndiscussions of the draft law.<\/p>\n
\"The government is being quite democratic by deliberating this
\nbill,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He added that deliberation of the bill and the draft political
\nlaws, both of which were recently submitted by the government,
\nwas a starting point for the House to begin restoring its badly-
\ntarnished image.<\/p>\n
Commenting on Friday's session, he said progress had been made
\nwith the striking of an agreement on \"12 principles\" which should
\nbe contained in the bill.<\/p>\n
The 12 principles agreed to are as follows:
\n * no permits for demonstrations, neither explicit nor implicit,
\nwill be needed from the police.
\n * demonstrators are required to provide the police with written
\nnotification. The notification is necessary to enable the police
\nto provide them with protection. Ginting said the police should
\nnot use this clause to impose an unofficial permit system because
\nthey have no right to reject any notification.
\n * the number of demonstrators in any protest is not limited.
\n * there must not be any physical or psychological intervention in
\nany shape or form to prevent people from exercising their freedom
\nof expression.
\n * anyone, including private citizens and members of the state
\napparatus who obstruct or interfere with a demonstration can be
\npenalized. \"'Anyone' includes officials who find themselves
\ntargeted by demonstrations,\" Ginting said.
\n * all government officials, including the country's president,
\ncan be the subject of protests. Protests are permitted in all
\npublic places.
\n * all stipulations in the bill that could be interpreted in more
\nthan one way should be elucidated in the bill's explanatory
\nchapters. \"This will include definitions of what constitutes
\n'disturbing public order' and 'threatening national union and
\nunity' to avoid misinterpretation,\" Ginting said.
\n * people who witness demonstrations have the right to help
\nmaintain security and are entitled to lodge complaints with the
\npolice if they are disturbed.
\n * the organizers of academic activities on university campuses
\nand religious activities are not required to notify the police.
\n * the expression of opinion through the mass media is not subject
\nto regulation under the bill.
\n * labor strikes in work places are not regulated under the bill.
\n * materials distributed at demonstrations do not require official
\napproval.<\/p>\n
Ginting said his fellow legislators in the commission should
\nstrive to ensure that all chapters and articles in the bill
\nreflect these principles.<\/p>\n
Asked about possible sanctions, Ginting said the bill referred
\nto the Criminal Code. \"The penalties comprise of administrative
\nsanctions, criminal and civil penalties,\" he said. (aan)<\/p>",
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