CSIS: RKUHP Take Care Of Sensitive Issues In Indonesia

Students in front of the State Palace held a demonstration to coincide with President Jokowi's birthday. (Rizky Sulistio-VOI)

JAKARTA - A political observer from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CKUHP), wary of controversial articles in the final draft of the Draft Criminal Code (RKUHP) aka the Criminal Code protects religious values, morality, ethnic diversity, race, and class.

"In my opinion, the current characteristics of the RKUHP are indeed absorbing the mandate of Article 28J of the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia regarding religious, moral, and public order values," said traversy in Jakarta, Thursday, July 7.

If you look at the Criminal Code which was created in 1915, according to him, the core values that want to be protected are liberalism. Meanwhile, in the current RKUHP, it protects religious values, morals, racial diversity, ethnicity, groups, and public order and security.

One example is the article that regulates criminal sanctions for blasphemy cases in Article 302 of the RKUHP.

The article states that everyone in public who commits acts of hostility, expresses hatred or hostility, or incites hostility, violence, or discrimination, against religion, trust, others, groups, or groups on the basis of religion or beliefs in Indonesia is sentenced to a maximum imprisonment of 5 years.

"Then how is the diversity of races, groups, and tribes also protected in the RKUHP?" he asked, quoted by Antara.

feeling hostility, hatred, or insult to one or several groups or Indonesian population groups based on race, nationality, ethnicity, skin tone, gender, mental disabilities, or physical disabilities were sentenced to a maximum imprisonment of 3 years.

"I see that very sensitive issues in Indonesia are related to ethnicity, religion, race, and intergroup (SARA). This is indeed something that must be maintained in a balance between freedom on one hand and freedom on the other, so as not to hurt each other and attack each other," said the political observer..

RKUHP wants to protect the diversity of race, ethnicity, class, and religion so that criminal articles for blasphemers and racism will still exist.

When there are individuals who try to interfere with this, he said, the articles in the RKUHP will immediately respond and be dealt with. This is in order to maintain a balance of Indonesian society.

"The character that is about to be achieved through the RKUHP is so that harmony between the Indonesian people, which is very diverse, can occur," said traversy.

On a separate occasion, Ujang Komarudin's political observer from Al Azhar University Indonesia supports the RKUHP articles that protect religious values, morality, ethnic diversity, race, and class are good articles and there are no problems because they are made for the benefit of the community.

"People have supported it and no one has questioned the articles," said Ujang when contacted by ANTARA.

The government and the DPR need to invite religious leaders, religious organizations, women activists, to jointly provide further input on articles aimed at protecting the values of religion and morality in the RKUHP.

Nevertheless, Ujang said that there are several RKUHP articles that need more intense discussion and improvement as demanded by the public, such as Article 218 concerning insults to the president and vice president, as well as Article 351 regarding insults to general power and state institutions.

"I encourage the Government and the DPR as legislators to capture the aspirations of these people," he said.