Omnibus Law; ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights Issues Statement

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The swarm of rejections against the passing of the omnibus law on job creation now no longer comes exclusively from Indonesians as the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) also voiced their concerns against the law, calling for the President of the Republic of Indonesia to revoke it. 

APHR chair and Malaysian parliament member, Charles Santiago, conveyed the message in an official statement Tempo received on Thursday, October 15. 

He explained that the law that was passed by the Indonesian parliament on October 5th has a clear aim which is to boost foreign investments but at the expense of democratic rights, labor workers’ rights, and the environment. The APHR chair went as far as to accuse the law of being based not on economic aspects but rather on opportunism. 

Santiago called for President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to formulate a new draft bill, with the labor unions and the public, that will better accommodate Indonesia’s obligation towards its human rights issues. 

The statement from APHR is not the first from the international community commenting on the Indonesian parliament’s decision to pass the job creation law. Previously, 35 global investors expressed their concerns, which include Aviva Investors, Legal & General Investment Management, the Church of England Pensions Board, Netherlands-based asset manager Robeco and Japan’s largest asset manager, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management.

“While we recognize the necessity for business law reform in Indonesia, we have concerns about the negative impact of certain environmental protection measures affected by the Omnibus Bill on Job Creation,” Peter van der Werf, senior engagement specialist at Robeco, said in a statement to Reuters. 

Read: Omnibus Law Shortcomings Improved in Derivatives, Says Minister Luhut

FAJAR PEBRIANTO