Curators have existed since 1998, PERKAPI pushes for a dedicated law

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Curators and Administrators Association (PERKAPI) is urging the House of Representatives (DPR RI) to prioritise the Draft Law on the Curator Profession, as the profession still lacks a legal umbrella that specifically governs professional standards, recruitment, competence and oversight.

Speaking at a joint meeting with DPR Commission XIII in Jakarta on Tuesday, PERKAPI Advisory Board member Asri Munde said specific regulations are needed to avoid a vacuum or overlapping arrangements with Law Number 37 of 2004 on Bankruptcy and Suspension of Debt Payment Obligations (PKPU).

“Because recruitment procedures, competence and so on are indeed not yet regulated. So we propose that this would best be made a priority law and serve as ‘lex specialis’,” said Asri.

Lex specialis is a Latin legal term meaning a law or regulation of a specific nature.

According to him, the urgency of forming such a regulation is all the greater because the curator profession has existed since 1998, yet to this day there is no law that specifically oversees it.

“Curators have been around since ’98, but there has never been an organisation or law covering them. Everything is based on Government Regulations or regulations from the Minister of Law and Human Rights,” he said.

PERKAPI is also open to the formation of a single joint umbrella for curator professional organisations, particularly to draw up a shared code of ethics, professional standards and oversight standards.

“In the discussions we have had, we have no objection to there being one umbrella that can cover all these organisations, particularly regarding a code of ethics and shared standards, shared oversight standards,” he said.

Meanwhile, Chair of DPR Commission XIII Willy Aditya said the Draft Law on the Curator Profession has been designated a DPR initiative bill and included in the annual Priority National Legislation Programme (Prolegnas).

According to Willy, Commission XIII is currently drafting the academic paper and the draft bill during this session, so input from professional organisations is needed in the drafting process.