Akbar comes under fire from activists over security bill
Akbar comes under fire from activists over security bill
JAKARTA (JP): Human rights activists regretted on Wednesday
the House of Representatives speaker Akbar Tandjung's call for
President Abdurrahman Wahid to ratify the controversial state
security bill.
Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI)
Chairman Hendardi and the Committee for Missing Persons and
Victims of Violence (Kontras) advisory board member Munir
separately told The Jakarta Post that the House should in fact
review the bill and revoke its endorsement.
"The bill and the old Emergency Law should be revoked. Both
are like poison to the people," Hendardi said.
He said the bill, which has yet been ratified by the
President, and the 1959 State of Emergency Law which it is
designed to replace were repressive to the public.
He said such an emergency law should only be required for
situations of war.
Hendardi suspected that Akbar's call was aimed at the prospect
of facing massive demonstrations before the House in conjunction
with the April 1 rise in fuel and electricity prices.
Munir supported Hendardi's view, saying both the bill and the
1959 law had the same principle in repressing public
demonstrations.
"The House should not give more strength and legitimacy to the
state to repress the demand of the people. It's against
democracy." Munir said.
The short history of the bill has been a bloody affair.
Mass protests against it brought thousands of students onto
the streets and resulted in a clash which claimed four lives.
The House, however, endorsed the bill on Sept. 24 last year.
The government under former president B.J. Habibie then
postponed ratifying the bill amid extreme public pressure.
Separately, Akbar Tandjung reiterated on Wednesday his call
for the President to ratify the bill, saying that it was needed
to give a legal basis to required security action.
He contended that bill was more democratic and less repressive
compared to the 1959 law.
He was also confident that the public would accept it now as
the political climate was completely different to that of last
year.
Chairman of the Indonesian Unity and Nationality faction
(FKKI) Sutradara Gintings supported Akbar's view, saying the law
was needed to anticipate possible social clashes.
"The bill needs to be ratified first. In the future we can
make revisions to the bill," Sutradara said.
He pointed out that past rejection was due to its association
with Habibie, whose political legitimacy was doubted by many.
(jun)