Jokowi Spokesman Ensures Revision Of ITE Law Has Been Followed Up By The Coordinating Minister For Political, Legal And Security Affairs

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD (DOK. ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Spokesperson for President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), Fadjroel Rachman said the plan to revise Law No. 19/2016 on Electronic Information and Transactions (UU ITE) has been followed up by Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menko Polhukam) Mahfud MD

"It has been followed up by the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, that the government will discuss initiatives to revise the ITE Law," said Fadjroel when contacted by VOI via short message, Wednesday, February 17.

"Pak Mahfud will discuss it," he added.

It's just that, Fadjroel did not explain who the parties will be invited to discuss by the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD regarding the discourse on the revision of the ITE Law. Meanwhile, Mahfud also did not reply to messages sent regarding the discussion.

Previously, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) opened the opportunity to revise Law Number 19 of 2016 concerning Electronic Information and Transactions (UU ITE) which has been considered to have many rubber articles.

The discourse on the revision of the ITE Law was conveyed by President Jokowi at the opening of the TNI and Polri Leadership Meeting at the State Palace, Jakarta. Through a broadcast uploaded to the Presidential Secretariat YouTube on Monday, February 15, the former governor of DKI Jakarta asked National Police Chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo to be careful in handling reporting using the ITE Law.

In addition, he said, the ITE Law is considered not to provide justice, so the government will propose a revision of the law which is often seen as restricting freedom of expression.

"If the ITE Law cannot provide a sense of justice, yes, I will ask the DPR to jointly revise this law. This ITE Law. Because this is where the upstream went. The upstream is here. Revision," said Jokowi in front of him. the TNI and Polri Rapim participants.

"Especially removing rubber articles which can have different interpretations. Which are easy to interpret unilaterally," he added.

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menko Polhukam) Mahfud MD, via his Twitter account @mohmahfudmd, said the government would hold discussions regarding the initiative to revise this law. This also answers public concerns with the existence of the rubber article in the ITE Law.

"If now the law is deemed bad and contains rubber articles, let's make a new resultant by revising the law. How good is it, this is democracy," wrote Mahfud.