Code revision says 'no' to casual sex, sorcery

Code revision says 'no' to casual sex, sorcery

A'an Suryana , The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Casual sex, oral sex, cohabitation, homosexual sex and witchcraft
will be outlawed if proposals by the Ministry of Justice and
Human Rights to amend the Criminal Code (KUHP) are adopted.

"After listening to various groups in society, including
Muslims and ethnic groups, the ministry has decided to include a
good number of new articles in the revised version of the KUHP,"
Abdul Gani Abdullah, director general of Laws and Regulations at
the ministry, said here on Monday

The current KUHP is a legacy of the Dutch, who occupied
Indonesia for 350 years until it gained independence in 1945.

Abdul Gani said the revision of the outdated KUHP would
include the addition of new articles to cope with the complexity
of Indonesian society.

A copy of the revised KUHP shows that among the new articles
are those related to casual sex, witchcraft or black magic,
Marxism-Leninism, contempt of court, oral sex and sodomy.

The revision is almost complete and will soon be submitted to
the House of Representatives (DPR) for deliberation.

Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra has
said that he expected the revised KUHP would be approved after
the 2004 elections.

The revised KUHP includes rulings on private matters of
individuals, including casual sex and homosexuality.

Article 422, for example, rules that a person can get a
maximum of two years in jail if she or he lives with her or his
partner under one roof outside of marriage.

The practice of homosexuality will be strictly prohibited
under the revised KUHP. Anyone who is caught having sex with the
same sex will get one to seven years in jail, according to
Article 427. The Associated Press reported this would only apply
to those aged under 18 years.

Under Article 423, sodomy and oral sex are categorized as an
act of rape, so that anyone who commits the offense can get three
to 12 years in jail.

"These have been included in the revised KUHP to accommodate
the demands of Muslim groups," Abdul Gani said.

Among those Muslim groups that had fought for the inclusion of
sharia (Islamic laws) in the laws and the Constitution is the
Crescent Star Party (PBB), which is chaired by Yusril.

Abdul Gani rejected the notion that including these articles
meant the state had intervened in the private matters of
individuals.

"There is no such intention by the government. It is the
community that had demanded the inclusion of those articles in
the revised KUHP."