Civil Society Coalition Sues President over Alleged Harmful Indonesia-US Trade Deal
JAKARTA – A coalition of civil society organisations has filed a lawsuit at the State Administrative Court (PTUN) Jakarta against President Prabowo Subianto regarding government policy concerning the proposed trade cooperation between Indonesia and the United States known as the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART).
The lawsuit was filed by several organisations united in a civil society coalition, namely the Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios), Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), Indonesia for Global Justice (IGJ), Solidaritas Perempuan, WALHI National Executive, and Trend Asia.
Muhammad Saleh, representative of the coalition from the Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios), stated that the lawsuit was filed because they believe there are alleged unlawful acts in the policy formulation process of the trade agreement.
Saleh explained that the lawsuit is not directed at the substance of the ART agreement directly, but rather at the government’s actions in the decision-making process.
“We do not yet know whether the ART agreement will be ratified in the form of law or otherwise. If it is in the form of law, we can actually challenge it again at the Constitutional Court. But if it is also in the form of a decision, we will encounter it again at PTUN,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bhima Yudhistira, Executive Director of Celios, stated that the lawsuit also aims for the ART agreement to be declared invalid. According to Bhima, several provisions in the trade cooperation are considered to have the potential to harm various sectors in Indonesia.
“Especially after the announcement from the United States Supreme Court that tariffs have changed and this is a highly detrimental policy. Both from the perspective of farmers, the public, and business operators including MSMEs and the halal certification body, all of these will suffer losses,” he said.
“Even Indonesia’s position as a sovereign nation, independent and active in determining investment and trade partners, in this trade agreement with the United States, Indonesia must swallow a poison pill, where it cannot engage in cooperation without permission or consent from the United States,” he explained.