Protests to be allowed near presidential office
Protests to be allowed near presidential office
JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives and the government
agreed on Tuesday that public protests would be allowed at a
distance of 100 meters from the fence of the presidential palace.
In a closed-door deliberation of the bill on freedom of
expression, also known as the bill on street protests, Minister
of Justice Muladi and legislators said the agreement was the
latest reached in the debate.
"We are still waiting for the presidential guards' observation
on this, but we have basically come to an agreement on that one,"
Muladi said during a break in a session of House Commission I for
political affairs here.
Legislator Ginting Sutradara of the Golkar faction and Aisyah
Aminy of the United Development Party in the commission confirmed
the decision reached.
Ginting, one of the most outspoken legislators during the
bill's deliberation, described the ongoing debate as "so far, so
good".
"What's important is that there has been a shift in paradigm,
from one that sought to prevent riots to one that seeks to attain
a peaceful exercise of freedom of expression," Ginting said
during the break.
Aisyah Aminy said a major achievement was the agreement that
no police permit was needed to stage public protests, but the
proposed law sought to hold the public and the security apparatus
responsible for peace and order.
On protests near the presidential palace, Ginting said the
government's earlier stance was to forbid any such protests.
"But, it finally agreed that the bill could regulate such
protests, because the presidential palace should not be turned
into a sacred place where no one was allowed to stage protests,"
he said.
Regarding the question of distance, the government initially
said protests could be held at a distance of 500 meters from the
palace fence, Ginting said. But legislators argued that from such
a distance, the protests would be "inaudible". The government
then yielded.
However, the stressing of the law was on responsibility,
Ginting and Aminy separately said.
"People are free (to stage protests), but (they) must be
responsible. There are criminal penalties sought (for
violators)," Aminy told journalists on the sidelines of the
deliberation.
Ginting said: "One (important) thing is that no more permit is
needed, the second is that the number of protesters is not
limited and the third is that those violating human rights will
face penalties."
He said the bill would ensure "a sharing of responsibilities"
between protesters and security apparatus securing the protests.
Minister Muladi elaborated on the point.
He said that while there would be no limitation on the number
of protests, for every 100 protesters, one person would have to
accept responsibility and register with the police.
On the other hand, protests which are deemed "legal" must not
be hindered. Any party, either state apparatus or other,
attempting to prevent such protests would be considered to be
committing a crime, he said.
"There are penalties for those responsible as well as for
those of the security apparatus (in the event a protest turns
violent)," Muladi said.
In this case, the police are warranted under the bill to "give
considerations" over the "routes, timing, places and so on" of a
planned protest.
"If protesters do not abide by the police's considerations,
they could still continue to protest, but if it should turn
rowdy, the penalties would be heavier," he said.
On the proposed punishment, Muladi said it was being discussed
with the House.
On Tuesday, Muladi also said a radius of 500 meters had been
agreed to for a protest to be staged in "dangerous places" like
gas-drilling rigs. Protests at prayer houses are banned.
A discussion earlier on Monday also resulted in an agreement
to allow protests at night -- although details were also being
debated, legislators said. (aan)