简体中文
By APD writer Maverick
JAKARTA, July 12 (APD) – Indonesian government officially issued on Wednesday a regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) to unilaterally dissolve radical groups identified of risking the nation’s unity and coexistence, a move which experts criticized of harming democracy.
The regulation was officially announced by Coordinating Minister for Political, Security and Legal Affairs Wiranto in his office after being signed by President Joko Widodo previously on Tuesday.
“This regulation does not lead to government’s arbitrary move. It is made to preserve our nation’s unity and coexistence,” the senior minister said.
Through the Perppu, government authorizes Legal and Human Rights Ministry to swiftly dissolve public organizations that against the nation’s constitution and founding principle of Pancasila.
The regulation, registered as Perppu No. 2/2017, annuls the existing Law on Public Organization No. 17/2013 which accommodates operations of such organizations including procedure to dissolve them which had to be conducted through legal mechanism.
Enforcement of the regulation would officially dissolve the existence of a Muslim organization, Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI), which struggles to establish a global Islamic caliphate including in Indonesia.
Government has previously announced dissolution of the organization in March, which was quickly responded by HTI to lodge an appeal to the court regarding the dissolution.
Besides HTI, government also mulled to dissolve other organizations that against the nation’s two philosophy pillars, ‘do not contribute to the nation’s development’.
Wiranto said issuance of the Perppu was not either targeting or discrediting Muslim organizations, adding that it was made on ‘urgency reason’.
The Perppu came up following the rife of sectarianism in the country following the recent regional election in the capital city that heavily used sensitive religious and race issues launched by supporters of the governor candidates which obviously led to the nation’s disintegration.
HTI was part of Muslim organizations actively taking part in several demonstrations highlighting the sensitive issues.
“So, let’s accept this with calmness as a reality,” the senior minister said.
An Indonesian state administration expert Irman Putra Sidin said that issuance of the Perppu is a bad precedence for sustainability of democracy in Indonesia.
The Perppu was created as a ‘bypass’ move to dissolve errant organizations as government may face difficulties should it has to go through legal mechanism in the court, he alleged.
“It would jeopardize all organizations, either they are government’s critics or not. If the government does not like them, it can simply dissolve them,” he said.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
