Public morality bill awaits govt approval

Public morality bill awaits govt approval

JAKARTA: The House of Representatives responded on Monday to a
suggestion by the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) secretary-
general, Din Syamsuddin, that the national legislature was slow
to act in tackling what he claimed was an increasing tendency
toward indecency in the country.

Lawmaker Aisyah Baidlowi said the House had completed drafting
its public morality bill in May and had submitted it to the
government. The government, however, had yet to assign a minister
to discuss the bill with the House.

The bill bans, among other things, kissing in public places,
something that is considered by rights activists as a private
matter and outside the purview of the government.

The director of the Ministry of Religious Affairs' legislation
unit, Nandi Aziz, said the bill was currently being studied by
the State Secretariat. -- Antara