Mahfud MD Forms ITE Law Review Team According To President Jokowi's Direction, National Police And Prosecutor's Office Will Be Selective

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The government has officially formed a Research Team on the Law on Electronic Information and Transactions (UU ITE). This team was formed through the Decree of the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs (Menko Polhukam) Number 22 of 2021.

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud MD said the team, this reviewer will discuss the substance in Law Number 19 of 2016. Especially, regarding the catchall article which has been causing controversy in the community.

This team, later on, will provide a report to itself for the next two or three months.

"It will take about two months, so later this team will report to us what the results will be," Mahfud said in a press conference broadcast on the YouTube account of the Indonesian Ministry of Politics, Law, and Security, Monday, February 22.

This formation is in accordance with the direction of President Joko Widodo who threw the discourse on the revision of the ITE Law some time ago. If later the team thinks that revisions are necessary, the government will submit it to the House of Representative of the Republic of Indonesia.

"Because the ITE Law is in National Legislation Program (Prolegnas) 2024 so it can be done (revised, red)," he said.

Furthermore, while this team is working, later the National Police and the Attorney General's Office will be more selective in implementing these rules. This is intended so that the ITE Law can be applied appropriately, without multiple interpretations, and creates justice for all parties.

Apart from forming a team, Mahfud also said that President Jokowi had ordered the National Police Chief to make implementative criteria that could apply equally to law enforcement officers.

"And the National Police Chief followed up by making an announcement that the violation of the ITE Law was a complaint offense and the one reporting was not someone else but the person concerned," he explained.

"So this guideline applies as soon as the Chief of Police announced. It applies now and then in the practice of investigations and investigations in the police," said Mahfud.