Legal Counsel For Indonesian Muslim Consumer Foundation Sends Objection Letter To Minister Of Health's Decree Regarding The COVID-19 Vaccine

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JAKARTA - The attorney for the Indonesian Muslim Consumer Foundation (YKMI) has submitted an objection letter to the issuance of a Decree (SK) of the Minister of Health (Menkes) regarding the determination of the type of vaccine for COVID-19.

"YKMI filed an administrative objection which was sent on Friday, May 27, 2022," said YKMI's attorney Amir Hasan in a written statement quoted by Antara, Friday, May 27.

The objection is a mechanism regulated in Law Number 30 of 2014 concerning Government Administration.

The reason for the objection, he said, was because the Decree of the Minister of Health that stipulates the type of vaccine to be used for COVID-19 still uses non-halal vaccines.

"While the Supreme Court's order requires the government to guarantee the halalness of vaccines, this is clearly the executive's disobedience to the judiciary," he said.

Meanwhile, another attorney, Ahsani Taqwim Siregar, said that the Minister of Health's decision did not state which vaccines were halal or haram.

“The public is not given transparent information about the halalness of vaccines. Why not obey the Supreme Court's decision and the Halal Product Guarantee Act, this is clearly detrimental to Muslims," he said.

In the Decree of the Minister of Health, the types of vaccines are PT Bio Farma (Persero), AstraZeneca, CanSino Biologics Inc, China National Pharmaceutical Group Corporation (Sinopharm), Johnson and Johnson, Moderna, Novavax Inc, Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech, Sinovac Biotech Ltd., and Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

"There are very few halal vaccines included, more non-halal vaccines," he said.

In the administrative objection letter, YKMI demanded that the Minister of Health revoke and revise the Decree of the Minister of Health.

"In order for the Minister of Health to comply with the Supreme Court's decision by guaranteeing the halalness of the vaccine, if not, then according to the Government Administration Law, we will take this to court," he explained.

Previously, the Supreme Court had issued Decision Number 31P/HUM/2022 dated April 14, 2022 which granted the lawsuit for judicial review from the Indonesian Muslim Consumer Foundation (YKMI). The ruling ordered the government to guarantee the halal type of vaccine used for COVID-19.

Following up on this, the Minister of Health, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, issued the Decree of the Minister of Health Number HK.01.07/MENKES/1149/2022 concerning the Determination of Vaccine Types for the Implementation of the COVID-19 Vaccination.