State security bill must be halted: Experts<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Experts agreed here on Tuesday on the need to
\nhalt the state security bill being deliberated in the House of
\nRepresentatives, which they claimed was a violation of human
\nrights and press freedom.<\/p>\n
Speaking at a seminar held by the Institute for Social and
\nEconomy Research, Education and Information, military observer
\nHasnan Habib said the bill was \"similar to the existence of the
\nKGB and PID.\"<\/p>\n
The KGB was the former Soviet Union's secret police, while the
\nPID existed during the Netherlands colonial rule of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"We don't need the law. There are no foreign threats to
\nIndonesia,\" said Hasnan, who maintains that the country's police
\nforce is adequate to counter internal threats.<\/p>\n
Lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution concurred, saying that the
\nexisting Criminal Code was sufficient.<\/p>\n
\"Articles in Book II on Crimes, Chapter II on Crimes to the
\nState are sufficient,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"The military has vested interests (in the bill), to maintain
\nthe privileges they've had all these years,\" Nasution claimed.<\/p>\n
The state security bill, along with a press bill, is among
\nseveral contentious legislations currently being deliberated in
\nthe House.<\/p>\n
Leo Batubara, of the Association of Newspaper Publishers,
\nacknowledged that the press bill provided adequate freedom to the
\npress. \"I'll give (a mark of) 85 out of 100,\" he said.<\/p>\n
However, he had nothing but censure of the state security bill
\nwhich, if applied, allows for a censure of media coverage.<\/p>\n
\"There were gross human rights violation in Aceh which were
\nuncovered by media reporting. Can you imagine what will happen if
\nthe media are barred from covering an area during a state of
\nemergency?\" he asked.<\/p>\n
\"Once the bill is passed, they will do this (a media coverage
\nban) in Aceh, Ambon, Irian Jaya and East Timor,\" Batubara said.<\/p>\n
In Semarang, Central Jakarta, about 50 students from the
\nIndonesian Law Students Association staged a protest on Tuesday,
\nrejecting the bill on state security.<\/p>\n
Gathering in front of the Central Java provincial council
\nbuilding, they charged that the bill would grant excessive power
\nto the military and the government in the event of perceived
\nthreats to the state.<\/p>\n
Group coordinator R. Kristiyanto said, \"We reject the bill
\nbecause it violates civil and political rights. It will also
\ngrant huge powers to the military to dominate civilian life.\"<\/p>\n
He pointed out that the 1945 Constitution already rules on the
\nPresident's right to declare a state of emergency in Article 12
\nand to proclaim war in Article 11.<\/p>\n
Therefore, he said, such a bill would be redundant, except for
\nthe military being able to wield greater power. (05\/har\/edt)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/state-security-bill-must-be-halted-experts-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}