Subversive law needs to be reviewed: Officials
Subversive law needs to be reviewed: Officials
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Justice Oetojo Oesman says the
present anti-subversive law should be reviewed in light of the
more sophisticated techniques being employed by criminals.
"The improvement of criminal methods using the latest
technologies and the increase in transnational crime will require
a better anti-subversive law," he said yesterday.
Speaking to reporters after signing a memorandum of
understanding between the Indonesian Minister of Justice and his
counterpart from the Netherlands, Winnifred Sugdrager, Oetojo
said that such a course of action was urgent.
Attorney General Singgih shared the opinion, saying earlier in
the day that the preamble of the law needs to be rewritten.
Both Oetojo and Singgih also agreed that a number of other
laws need reviewing.
"All laws which were enforced more than 20 years ago should be
reviewed," Oetojo said. "One of them is the anti-corruption law."
He said corruption was also taking on more sophisticated
traits and that the penalty stipulated in the law is no longer
relevant.
Oetojo added that the government needs to prepare a bill on
the retrieval of state assets lost to corrupt officials, while
Singgih suggested that all laws inherited from the Dutch colonial
era be reviewed.
Meanwhile, the director of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute,
Luhut M.P. Pangaribuan, said earlier that amendments need to be
made to the laws on political matters, the presidential decrees
for the screening and stigmatization of former political
prisoners and the information ministry's decree requiring
newspapers to have a publishing license.
Legal review is strongly supported by the National Commission
on Human Rights.
The Commission and a number of non-governmental organizations
are currently conducting an inventory of the existing laws which
are considered contradictory to human rights.
The Commission's secretary-general, Baharuddin Lopa, said last
week that it had made a list of priority law reviews. "At the top
of the priority list is the anti-subversive law," he said.
Meanwhile, Winnifred Sugdrager said that the recently-signed
MOU will allow Indonesia and the Netherlands to cooperate in
legal matters through exchanges of information, views, and
experiences in the legal field.
"We can hold joint-programs on academic activities, law
studies, as well as exchange information and experiences with law
reform," she said in her speech.
She stressed the growing significance of environmental law.
"We can share views and experiences in training for police
investigators, prosecutors and judges, regarding environmental
matters," she said.
Sugdrager expressed her appreciation with Indonesia's efforts
to review its laws.
Leading a Dutch delegation, Sugdrager has been here for three
days to discuss legal issues with Indonesian counterparts.
The Dutch minister, however, denied that extradition was one
of the major topics during their stay.
"It could be an important subject to discuss, but we
concentrated more on exchanges of legal matters," she said.
"We have received no requests from the Indonesian government
to extradite Indonesians living in my country." (imn)