Govt to file new freedom of expression bill

Govt to file new freedom of expression bill

JAKARTA (JP): The government plans to submit a second bill
seeking to regulate freedom of expression after withdrawing the
first one on Tuesday amid signs that the legislation would not
have passed the House of Representatives' scrutiny.

Minister of Justice Muladi said the government intended to
submit the new bill as soon as possible and hoped the House would
begin its first reading on Friday.

"We're waiting for the President's signature," Muladi told
journalists after attending a House of Representatives plenary
session during which the government announced its decision to
withdraw the first bill.

The first bill was widely criticized not only for its content,
which many felt would curtail people's right to demonstrate, but
also because the government had invoked a state of emergency by
proposing a government regulation in lieu of a law.

This method meant that the House had to give a speedy reading
of the legislation. It circumvented the lengthy process that laws
have to go through to get House approval.

During the plenary session, Armed Forces Commander/Minister of
Defense and Security Gen. Wiranto announced the government's
decision to withdraw the bill. His word were greeted with huge
applause from the floor.

Wiranto quickly added that the government would submit a new
bill soon without invoking the state of emergency clause
permitted under the 1945 Constitution.

He also indicated that the content would be amended in view of
various public protests.

The first bill was drafted by the Ministry of Defense and
Security. It proposed limiting street demonstrations to a maximum
of 50 persons. Anything larger would require police permission.
The bill also stipulated that the media had to obtain police
permission before reporting on the content of any demonstration.

Wiranto said on Tuesday the government would drop the media
permit clause. The second bill would also raise the maximum
number of street protesters to 100 before police permission was
required, he said.

The first bill passed the second reading last week with only
the United Development Party (PPP) faction categorically opposing
both the content of the bill and the method by which it was
presented to ensure speedy passage through the House.

The other factions simply said they were prepared to debate
the contentious points.

The government had earlier maintained that the situation in
the country had been so critical due to widespread violent street
protests that it believed many demonstrations had led to the
destruction of property and even loss of life. But it never
officially announced that the country was in a state of
emergency.

In April, the government also invoked the state of emergency
clause when presenting the bankruptcy bill. The document was duly
deliberated and passed by the House in August because it was
needed to allow creditors to initiate bankruptcy proceedings in
court to repossess money from corporations that were technically
bankrupt under massive unpaid debts.

The government's decision to withdraw the bill was lauded even
by one of its most ardent critics, labor leader Muchtar Pakpahan,
who was in the House gallery to watch the plenary session.

"That's a wise move. I agree we need a law regulating street
protests, but it must be openly debated," he said.

Legislators Andi Matalatta of the dominant Golkar faction and
Bachtiar Chamsyah of the Moslem-based United Development Party
said they were ready to deliberate the new bill.

"If it is a bill for a law, then it's our duty to deliberate
it," Bachtiar said.

Andi said deliberation of the second bill would be fast
because much of the content had been widely debated by the
public, and the government had taken note of the objections.

Former Army chief of staff Gen. (ret) Rudini defended on
Tuesday the government's proposal to regulate protests, saying
that such a measure was needed for the sake of the protesters
themselves.

Protesters should inform the police about the venue of their
protest and the route they intend to take if they plan to hold a
march.

"The security apparatus needs this information so that they
can provide protesters with protection and prevent any intruders
or agent provocateur from infiltrating the group," Rudini, also
former minister of home affairs, said after addressing a seminar
on nationalism at the National Resilience Institute.

He did not think that such a law would tamper with people's
democratic rights. "People are free to express their opinions but
they must be done in compliance with regulations," he said.
(imn/aan)