DPR Criticised for Not Publishing Cybersecurity Bill Draft

Researcher from the Indonesian Parliamentary Concerned Citizens Forum (Formappi), Lucius Karus, has criticised the House of Representatives (DPR) for not publishing the draft of the Cybersecurity and Resilience Bill. The regulation is scheduled to be discussed by Commission I of the DPR together with the government.

“What is discussed by the people’s representatives should be known by the people,” he said when contacted on Tuesday, 30 June 2026.

According to him, there is no reason for the DPR to keep the draft bill secret. He argued that the public should be allowed to participate in the regulatory formation process. Lucius stated that public participation is not optional in the law-making process, but rather a manifestation of a democratic state that places the people as the highest authority. “So, keeping the draft bill for any reason is a violation of the principles of legislative formation,” he said.

The commission overseeing defence and communication claimed the reason for not publishing the draft was to prevent the emergence of hoaxes. Lucius assessed this reason as illogical, as hoaxes are more likely to emerge if there is no transparency of information. “The solution to overcoming hoaxes should be to provide official information as widely and massively as possible,” Lucius said.

Previously, the Chair of Commission I of the DPR, Utut Adianto, requested that the draft prepared by the government not be published yet. “For these drafts, it is better not to release them first because there will be too many hoaxes,” Utut said during a meeting between Commission I and the government on Monday, 29 June 2026. He stated that there would be a time when the draft of the Cybersecurity and Resilience Bill would be opened to the public. “Later, when we have discussed it up to a certain stage, if it is needed, we will give it to the public,” Utut said.

The legislature has formed a working committee to discuss the Cybersecurity and Resilience Bill. Deputy Chair of Commission I, Sukamta, was appointed as the chair of the working committee, with members representing each party faction in the security commission. Commission I also cautioned that the deliberation of the bill should not be rushed, as several substantive aspects are considered to still have gaps. Utut views the Cybersecurity and Resilience Bill as a new regulation that will become the foundation for national cybersecurity governance. Therefore, he said, its deliberation must be carried out carefully by involving a team that understands the development of cybersecurity and applicable best practices. “This is a new thing. A new thing for a law must be taken very seriously,” Utut said. According to him, one part that requires special attention is the regulation of cyber crimes that have no equivalent in other laws and regulations. He assessed that the bill will become Indonesia’s footing in facing the challenges of digital security in the future.