Rights activists oppose internal security act<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Two leading human right campaigners say they
\nstrongly object to the military's call to introduce an internal
\nsecurity act to deal with domestic disturbances.<\/p>\n
Todung Mulya Lubis and Hendardi, both active promoters of
\nhuman rights, told The Jakarta Post separately that the criminal
\ncode should be adequate to deal with any disturbances that arise.<\/p>\n
Mulya feared that an internal security act would be abused by
\nthe authorities to quell political dissent.<\/p>\n
Hendardi said that such legislation goes against the spirit of
\ndemocracy that Indonesia has been pursuing.<\/p>\n
The two men were responding to the Armed Forces' (ABRI)
\ndisclosure that for the last 10 years it has been drafting a bill
\non internal security and that it will soon be ready for
\nsubmission to the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
ABRI Chief of Sociopolitical Affairs Lt. Gen. Syarwan Hamid
\ndid not say whether the bill is intended to replace the 1963
\nSubversion Law.<\/p>\n
The pre-New Order legislation has been widely used by the
\nauthorities against dissidents and its critics, prompting human
\nrights campaigners to call for its repeal. The National
\nCommission on Human Rights has also said the law should be
\nabolished.<\/p>\n
Syarwan said the military has been handicapped by the absence
\nof legal tools to deal with domestic disturbances.<\/p>\n
He recalled that in the 1970s and 1980s it had the Command for
\nthe Restoration of Security and Order.<\/p>\n
The military unit, known by its acronym Kopkamtib, was widely
\nfeared because of its overriding powers. It was abolished in the
\nlate 1980s and replaced by Bakorstanas, the Coordinating Agency
\nfor National Stability, with far less power.<\/p>\n
Syarwan did not give details of the proposed bill but said it
\nwould be similar to the internal security acts used in Singapore
\nand Malaysia.<\/p>\n
Mulya said the criminal code, if used effectively, should be
\nsufficient to deal with internal disturbances.<\/p>\n
He noted that the law enforcement agencies are still applying
\nthe criminal code somewhat halfheartedly.<\/p>\n
The government is currently also in the process of drafting a
\nnew criminal code to replace the existing one which Indonesia
\ninherited from its Dutch colonial rulers.<\/p>\n
Mulya said the government should let the House of
\nRepresentatives as well as the public scrutinize the bill on the
\nnew criminal code.<\/p>\n
\"We need a criminal code that can last for a long time. We
\ntherefore need plenty of time to deliberate it,\" he said.<\/p>\n
On the proposed internal security act, Mulya said Malaysia and
\nSingapore are not good examples for Indonesia to emulate.<\/p>\n
Their laws allow the authorities to detain suspects virtually
\nfor an unlimited period. Although the act stipulates a maximum
\ndetention of two years, in practice, the period could be extended
\nan unlimited number of times, he said.<\/p>\n
The internal security acts in Malaysia and Singapore also
\ndeprive suspects of various rights, including the principle of
\npresumption of innocence, he said.<\/p>\n
Hendardi speculated that the proposed internal security act
\nwould replace the infamous subversion law. \"It is simply changing
\nthe bottle but the content remains the same,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Carrying a maximum penalty of death, the 1963 law allows the
\nauthorities to detain a suspect up to one year without trial.
\n(16)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/rights-activists-oppose-internal-security-act-1447893297",
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