ABRI reminds public of basis for permits

ABRI reminds public of basis for permits

JAKARTA (JP): The controversy over the requirement that people
obtain official permission to hold gatherings continues with the
Armed Forces (ABRI) reminding the public that the policy has its
origins in the Constitution.

ABRI spokesman Brig. Gen. Suwarno Adiwijoyo said in Semarang
yesterday that the rights to assemble and express opinions are
regulated in Article 28 of the 1945 Constitution.

"Some people forget that the freedom to assemble and to
express opinions is regulated by law," he said.

He urged the public to carefully examine the policy and to
follow procedures if they wished to amend it. The Constitution,
he said, contains only the basic regulations regarding the
rights, so that it should be flexible enough to accommodate
developments in society.

"If we want to change the policy, we should discuss the matter
with the House of Representatives," he said. But as long as there
is no new regulation on the public gatherings, the old regulation
stands, he added.

Suwarno made the comments in relation to the government's plan
to establish a team to review the controversial policy. Numerous
groups and individuals have joined the discourse, including
former minister of home affairs Rudini who called for the
abolition of the policy because Indonesia is politically stable.

Among the latest to contribute opinions to the debate was
intellectual Emha Ainun Nadjib who said the policy, often used by
the authorities to "control seminars, discussions, and cultural
performances", was not lawful.

"Democratic countries like Indonesia don't need such control
mechanisms," he told reporters after attending a discussion on
democratization and political culture in Bandung on Saturday.

He pointed out that Indonesia "does not have any political
culture", a culture which places the welfare of the people as its
highest priority.

"What we have here, instead, is a culture of power, which
does not commit itself to the welfare of the people," he
said.

He joined Rudini and many others in calling for the abolition
of the permit policy, and its replacement with a new tradition of
requiring organizers of any gathering to notify the authorities
beforehand.

"Handle violations by taking the matter to court," he
suggested.

He also said that should the government decide to establish
special agencies in charge of issuing permits for public
gatherings, it should include as many elements of society as
possible.

"For instance, it should be made clear who would be
responsible to evaluate whether a cultural performance" should be
granted permission, he said.

He doubted that such a move would be effective, though,
particularly due to what he described as government officials'
lack of readiness to implement such policies. (imn/pet)