House passes new freedom of expression bill<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives endorsed on
\nThursday the controversial freedom of expression bill for
\nPresident B.J. Habibie to sign into law, saying they were
\nsatisfied with the \"democratic\" way the document was deliberated.<\/p>\n
Observers, however, remained unsatisfied,<\/p>\n
The 385 legislators attending Thursday's plenary session
\npresided over by Deputy House Speaker Lt. Gen. Hari Sabarno said,
\nthrough their faction representatives, they were content with the
\nfinal result of the 20 days of deliberation since the bill was
\nintroduced.<\/p>\n
Minister of Defense and Security\/Armed Forces (ABRI) Commander
\nGen. Wiranto and Minister of Justice Muladi, representing the
\ngovernment, also gave the thumbs-up to House Commission I for
\npolitical affairs with which they deliberated the bill.<\/p>\n
Legal expert Abdul Hakim Garuda Nusantara, however, echoed an
\nearlier warning about the potential for abuse of a ruling on the
\nrequired notification to the police by people wishing to express
\ntheir opinions in demonstrations.<\/p>\n
Wiranto reiterated the bill was not meant to restrict people's
\nfreedom of expression.<\/p>\n
Wiranto said: \"This is a regulative bill... for every citizen
\nwho wants to air their opinions in public, free from either
\nphysical or psychological pressures, which could otherwise
\nundermine the meaning of freedom as stated in the 1945
\nConstitution's Article 28.\"<\/p>\n
Article 28 allows for a law to regulate the people's freedom
\nto organize and assemble to express their opinions verbally and
\nin writing.<\/p>\n
All of the four House factions (the United Development Party,
\nthe Indonesian Democratic Party, Golkar and the Armed Forces)
\nhighlighted the fact they were able to persuade the government to
\nscrap from the bill a stipulation that protesters had to ask for
\npolice permit.<\/p>\n
The document now says protesters need to notify the police in
\nwriting three days ahead of any planned demonstration.<\/p>\n
The term \"expression of opinion in public\" in the bill covers
\ndemonstrations, street rallies, mass gatherings, and free-speech
\nforums.<\/p>\n
Abdul Hakim said it was that particular stipulation that
\nneeded further scrutiny, both from the House and the public.<\/p>\n
\"Don't allow this notification process to become a 'permit
\nrequirement process', because the police still have the power to
\nabuse the meaning (of the stipulation),\" Hakim warned.<\/p>\n
He said the article needed elucidation.<\/p>\n
The lawyer called on the House to monitor the legislation's
\nimplementation.<\/p>\n
Asked if the country really needed the bill, Hakim said yes as
\nlong as it did not ride roughshod the fundamental human right to
\nfreedom of expression.<\/p>\n
Muhammad Anung, an environmentalist who has often taken to the
\nstreets to push for his group's cause, said the bill was not
\nneeded at all.<\/p>\n
\"For a country as repressive as this, such a bill is
\nunnecessary. It would be different if this were a democratic
\ncountry,\" said the activist of the Indonesian Forum for
\nEnvironment (Walhi).<\/p>\n
He argued the bill would only add an \"additional link\" to the
\nchain shackling people's freedom.<\/p>\n
Anung also said the short time in which the bill was processed
\nindicated that the House and the government had failed to listen
\nto people's aspirations. (aan)<\/p>",
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