Tria Sutrisna, Danu Damarjati, Jakarta – The coordinator of the National Network for Domestic Worker Advocacy (JALA PRT), Lita Anggraini, is asking for the completion of the Draft Law on the Protection of Domestic Workers (RUU PPRT) to be accelerated immediately, considering that President Prabowo Subianto promised to finish the law within three months.
"So it's no longer a delay because Pak [Mr] Prabowo's promise was three months, it's been almost a year since that promise. So this [law] is a form of the state's presence to protect domestic workers", said Anggraini at the House of Representatives (DPR) building in Jakarta on Thursday March 5.
According to Anggraini, the ratification of the bill is extremely urgent because domestic workers are still vulnerable to violence and discrimination.
"As soon as possible, considering that this is urgent in order to prevent violence and discrimination against domestic workers. And we have been waiting for 22 years", said Anggraini.
She also mentioned the commitment by Prabowo who previously promised to speed up discussion of the bill when attending International Labour Day (May Day) last year.
According to Anggraini, domestic workers play an important role in the continuity of community activities. "Without domestic workers, Indonesia would be paralysed", said Anggraini.
Therefore, Anggraini hopes that the DPR will no longer extend the discussion process through additional meetings if all the input and suggestions needed are sufficient.
She also encouraged the discussion of the RUU PPRT to immediately enter the decision-making stage, so that it can be designated as an initiative proposal from the DPR and begin to be discussed with the government.
"If there is no more RDP [public hearings], a plenary [meeting] can go straight to discussing the articles and be included as an initiative. We hope that the DPR leadership, the DPR speaker will agree to make it an initiative RUU, immediately discuss it with the government, and become... the R disappears and it becomes a law [UU]", she said.
Anggraini added that after it becomes a DPR initiative bill, the government is expected to immediately send a presidential letter (surpres) and a problem inventory list (DIM) so that first-level discussions can begin immediately.
"So the initiative, the surpres and DIM from the government, then first level discussions, and then immediately passed into law", she concluded.
Prabowo's May Day pledge
The PPRT Bill was initially proposed in 2004 and is considered urgent as a legal umbrella to protect workers in the domestic sector.
The private nature of domestic workers' work means that government supervision is limited, making them prone to discrimination, exploitation and even violence.
Since 2004, the RUU PPRT has consistently been included in the National Legislation Program (Prolegnas) in every DPR period, but was not ratified as of the end of the DPR term for the 2019-2024 period.
Last year Prabowo declared his commitment to pushing for the bill's passage. During the May Day commemorations at the National Monument (Monas) in Jakarta on May 1, Prabowo said that discussion on the RUU PPRT would soon begin in the DPR.
"We will soon pass the Domestic Workers Protection Bill. The deputy speaker of the DPR who was present, Pak Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, reported to me that next week this bill will begin to be discussed", said Prabowo at that time.
"Hopefully we will complete the RUU in no more than three months", said Prabowo.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Aktivis Minta RUU PPRT Tak Molor: Prabowo Janji 3 Bulan, Ini Hampir Setahun".]
