Indonesia halts controversial penal code revision amid nationwide protests

This appeared in The Millennial Source

On September 20, 2019, President Joko Widodo abruptly delayed the passage of Indonesia’s Draft Penal Code, a controversial 628-article bill that would overhaul the nation’s criminal laws. The revised code would further restrict freedom of speech in a country where it is already limited, and also ban sex outside of marriage.

The bill had been expected to win the approval of the Indonesian Parliament in a vote scheduled for September 25. However, after overwhelming opposition from activists, legal experts, and the Indonesian general public, Widodo announced that he has delayed the vote. The matter is now slated for consideration by the incoming Parliament, which will be seated this month.

Protesters have decried not only the Draft Penal Code, but also another controversial piece of legislation passed in early September. The new law aims to strip the Corruption Eradication Commission (the KPK) of key powers, allowing lawmakers and national leaders to kill off corruption inquiries before they begin.

Because Indonesian politicians are often the targets of KPK investigations, the law sparked concern among activists, students and others, who fear that it will allow leaders to shield themselves from oversight. The international community widely viewed the law as a substantial setback to Indonesia’s anti-corruption campaign.