Editorial

Papuans in traditional garb demonstrate against the anti-pornography bill last year in Denpasar, Bali. (Photo: Sonny Tumbelaka, AFP)

House Is Out of Touch On Contentious Bills

The widespread public protests against the antipornography law earlier this year and now the protests greeting the film bill that is scheduled to be endorsed by the House of Representatives next week are teaching us several things.

One is that our law-making mechanisms are not yet capable of fully engaging the public. Laws are issued for the good of the public and therefore the public should not only have the right to voice their opinions about them, but also to be informed about the ongoing process.

Another lesson is that the law-making process, by representatives of the people, has not been transparent enough. That so many objections are still being raised when the bill is just days away from being passed into law reflects this.

We hope the next House will be more open and accommodating of people’s wishes, as well as work diligently on each piece of legislation as quickly as possible so as not to leave a massive backlog at the end of their five-year term. Rushing a bill through tends to yield laws that are not well thought out and do not fully reflect the wishes of the people.

The Indonesian Press and Broadcasting Society said in its protest that the film bill was not only heavy-handed and a step backward in the drive for democracy, but had been rushed through without even consulting the film industry itself.

The government and the House must also resist the temptation to overlegislate and overreach. There should be limits to what can be legislated; a limit to just how much the state can meddle in public life.

Business, in this case the film industry, must be allowed to flourish and not have its creativity choked. Freedom of expression is a prerequisite for both democracy and a vibrant arts scene, which is why our founding fathers so wisely enshrined this freedom in the 1945 Constitution.

The film bill will be a step backward for the nation. Echoing the bill on pornography, the film bill seems to have been poorly thought through. Its impact on society could be far-reaching, and as the porn bill vividly illustrated, it would likely face growing social resistance.

The one area where the government should take a tougher stand is on cigarette and tobacco advertising, which has a huge influence on our youth and leads to teenagers picking up the lethal habit.

Governments all over the world have made it much tougher for the tobacco industry to peddle its addictive products to young, impressionable people, but Indonesia seems to be heading in the opposite direction.

The current House of Representatives appear to be out of sync with today’s society. Lawmakers should represent the people and as such must reflect current social norms and values.

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