18 Years Of Mangkrak, The Government Hopes That The DPR Will Ratify The PPRT Bill As A Bill On The Proposal Of Legislative Initiatives

Discussion of the PPRT Bill (Puput Puji/VOI)

JAKARTA - The government is pushing for the acceleration of the Draft Law (RUU) on the Protection of Domestic Workers (PPRT) into a Rancangan Law on the proposed legislative initiative. This 18-year-old bill is expected to provide strong legal protection for domestic workers.

The PPRT Bill Task Force consisting of Deputy Minister of Law and Human Rights, Eddy Hiariej, Deputy V Presidential Chief of Staff Jaleswari Pramowardhani, to KSP Expert Brian Sri Praguestuti when met at the Ministry of Manpower Building, Central Jakarta, Friday, September 30, 2022 held a discussion to encourage the DPR to immediately increase the PPRT Bill which is still being held in the DPR and has not yet been finalized to become a legislative initiative proposal bill.

Eddy said that the discussion by the government could be carried out after the PPRT Bill was ratified in the plenary session as an initiative of the DPR.

"We are a passive government, we can only discuss the bill procedurally if the DPR has ratified it in the plenary session as an initiative of the DPR," Edward said in a discussion on the PPRT Bill in Jakarta, Friday, September 30.

Secara prosedur, pemerintah juga tidak dapat melakukan invensi untuk mendorong DPR agar RUU PPRT itu segera diparipurkan.

"If it's on the DPR's initiative, the government is passive, it can't take over. So usually every year there is a Prolegnas, usually between the government and the DPR, which issues are the initiatives of the DPR and the issues that are the government's initiatives. PPRT is the initiative of the DPR," said Eddy, his nickname.

The PPRT Bill has been a discussion in the DPR since 2004. However, after 18 years have passed, the bill, which is proposed by the legislative body, has been suspended and has not yet been finalized.

"The PPRT Bill is an initiative for baleg, but until now it has not been ratified in the plenary session as an initiative of the DPR. We, the government, are passive, we can only discuss procedurally if the DPR ratifies it as an initiative of the DPR," said Eddy at the Ministry of Manpower Building, Central Jakarta, Friday, September 30, 2022.

Eddy explained that the government could not make any interventions to encourage the DPR to immediately complete the PPRT Bill. Because, if the government actively encourages the DPR to plenate the PPRT Bill, it is most likely that there will be a procedural defect. "It will be MK again, we will be hit again," said Eddy.

One of the functions if the PPRT Bill is completed, Eddy said that domestic workers will receive guarantees for the security of employment rights in the country. This rule is also the added value of Indonesian domestic workers who are household assistants abroad.

Eddy said that so far, migrant workers who work as domestic workers abroad often receive acts of violence and injustice in their work. The government where domestic workers work often does not provide protection to migrant workers, because seeing that in Indonesia there are no rules that guarantee the security of household members.

"If we have this law, we can demand other countries to treat our workforce as the country does," said Eddy Hiariej.

He said that if the DPR's initiative bill was completed in the plenary session, the government would immediately discuss it. The bill consists of 12 chapters and 34 articles. "If it is ratified, it doesn't actually take long to become a law," he said.

The Task Force for the PPRT Bill has also held several meetings, both with the Legislative Body, Civil Society Organization (CSO), and the government.

"So we have discussed it informally so that later if it is ratified as a DPR initiative bill, it will not take long to discuss it," he said.

Eddy explained, after becoming the DPR's initiative bill, the Speaker of the DPR will then write to the President. After that, the President appointed which ministries and institutions will discuss the bill. "Until now, it has not been ratified as a DPR initiative bill in the plenary session," he said.