Member Of Commission III Of The House Of Representatives Criticizes Vasektomi's Proposal To Be A Requirement For Social Assistance: Violating Human Rights And Humanitarian Principles

JAKARTA - Member of Commission III of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Prince Khairul Saleh, strongly criticized a number of controversial policies proposed by West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi, including plans to make the vasectomi procedure a condition for providing social assistance (bansos) and a militarization program for problematic students.

According to Prince, such policies not only conflict with human rights principles, but also have the potential to injure social justice mandated in the constitution.

Social assistance is a constitutional right of citizens who should not be associated with personal and permanent medical procedures. The proposal is not only ethically flawed, but also violates legal and humanitarian principles," Prince told reporters, Tuesday, May 6.

He emphasized that the vasexomi is a personal choice, and even if it is useful in controlling birth, the procedure should not be used as a prerequisite for obtaining basic rights such as social assistance.

"If the vasectomi is associated with the right to obtain social assistance, then it is clearly a form of human rights violation. No one should be forced to undergo medical procedures to access assistance that should be guaranteed by the state," he said.

For information, Governor Dedi Mulyadi suggested that the vasectomi be one of the requirements for the poor to receive social assistance. He also offered an incentive of IDR 500 thousand for men who are willing to undergo the procedure, under the pretext of reducing birth and poverty.

Not only about the vasectomi, Pangeran also highlighted the plan to militarize children in schools that were started in West Java. According to him, this approach is not in accordance with the spirit of humane education and is contrary to the Convention on Children's Rights.

"Children must grow up in an environment that supports mental and physical development in a healthy manner, not through the doctrine of extreme military-style discipline," said the legislator from South Kalimantan I.

He reminded that a similar program had been implemented during the New Order, which was full of administrative pressure and had minimal public participation, causing prolonged social trauma.

"The state must not treat its people as the object of a policy experiment. Especially if the approach tends to be repressive and without a clear basis of study," Pangeran said.

Pangeran mendorong agar setiap kebijakan yang menentuh moral dan masa depan masyarakat dikaji secara terbuka dan partisipasitif, melibatkan tokoh agama, pakter medis, masyarakat sipil, dan lembaga legislatif.

"The character development of students should be carried out with a child-friendly education approach, not with a militarization pattern. We must not justify the normalization of violence in the world of education," he concluded.