MUI Prepares LGBT Criminalisation Bill, DPR Confirms Readiness to Review Proposal

The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) is currently drafting an academic paper and a bill to criminalise lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) activities, which it intends to push into the House of Representatives’ (DPR) National Legislation Programme (Prolegnas). The proposal has received a response from Deputy Speaker of the DPR Saan Mustopa, who affirmed that the parliament is open to receiving every public aspiration, including the draft law prepared by the MUI. “As a form of public aspiration, in this case from the MUI, we will certainly look at what the results of the draft proposed by the MUI are like,” Saan Mustopa told reporters on Tuesday, 30 June 2026. Saan explained that every proposed bill submitted to the DPR will undergo a discussion process according to the applicable mechanism. The NasDem Party politician stated that once the official draft is received, the DPR will study the substance of the proposal before determining the next steps. “It will certainly be submitted to the DPR, and the DPR will definitely review, study, and follow up on it,” he said. He added that the discussion could be conducted through various DPR bodies, including the Legislation Body (Baleg) or the DPR’s Expertise Body (BKD). Previously, MUI Deputy Chairman KH M. Cholil Nafis revealed that his party is finalising the academic paper and the LGBT criminalisation bill. According to him, the regulation is being prepared to be proposed for inclusion in the DPR’s National Legislation Programme. Cholil stated that MUI took this step because it believes that moral appeals alone are no longer sufficient. “Out of our love for true humanity, we invite them to return to their nature. We have prepared the academic paper and the criminal bill, it is now up to the DPR to discuss and enact it,” Cholil said. MUI considers that the phenomenon of LGBT in Indonesia has changed compared to a few years ago.