Sania Mashabi, Jakarta – Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta) Director Arif Maulana believes that the Omnibus Law will only benefit the oligarchy or the interests of the government which is being run by a handful of people from the elite. Because, he says, the regulation will largely sides with investors.
“The concept is a law which integrates [other legislation] into one. Abolishing and revising articles which are seen as obstructing investment. It’s clearly and explicitly in the interests of the oligarchy”, said Maulana at the Jakarta LBH offices in Jakarta on Sunday January 19.
Maulana says that the government should instead be making laws which side with the ordinary people rather than laws which only give priority to investors in Indonesia.
“Yet what is needed is [laws] which side with the people. The UUD 1945 [Constitution] should protect the ordinary Indonesian people”, he said.
Maulana also believes that the discussions on the Draft Omnibus Law have been discriminatory because the deliberation process has only involved employers and businesspeople.
“It must involve the public, all stakeholders. So that it’s democratic and benefits everyone”, he said. “The Omnibus Law is very discriminative because it only involves employers and business people”, said Maulana.
Earlier, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo requested that officials immediately complete the Draft Omnibus Law on Job Creation, Taxation and Small and Medium Businesses.
This was conveyed by Widodo when he was chairing a limited meeting at the Presidential Office at the Presidential Palace Complex in Jakarta on Wednesday January 15. “Today I am asking that the draft law, the text, be finished this week”, Widodo told officials.
Widodo also asked the chief of police, the head of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), the Attorney General and all ministries to communicate with related parties. According to Widodo, this communication can be done while waiting for the Omnibus Law to be deliberated by the House of Representatives (DPR).
“We have set a target for the Omnibus Law to be completed within 100 working days (of my second term in office)”, said the former Jakarta governor.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was “LBH Jakarta Sebut RUU Omnibus Law Hanya untuk Kepentingan Oligarki”.]
