Anti-omnibus Law Protesters Refuse to Meet Govt Representatives

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The spokesperson of the Congress Alliance of Indonesian Labor Unions (KASBI), Nining Elitos, said members of the labor unions refuse to meet representatives from the Presidential Palace if the government does not change its views towards the omnibus law on job creation. 

The labor union expressed this after the police offered union members protesting in today’s rally to meet with the Presidential Staff Office. Workers have gathered at the Medan Merdeka street in Central Jakarta to protest the passing of the omnibus law.

“Will there be a change in the government’s attitude [towards the omnibus law] or will they only accommodate [our complaints]? If It's the latter then [no, thank you], we've had enough [of that],” said Nining during the rally on Thursday, October 22. 

She said protesters will continue to demand President Jokowi to counter the omnibus law by issuing a government regulation in lieu of law (Perpu).

“From January up until this moment we continue to put pressure on the president to annul the job creation law through the issuance of a perpu,” said Nining who strongly argued that the passing of the omnibus law can be overturned as its birth is legally and procedurally flawed. 

Read: Omnibus' Dead End

M YUSUF MANURUNG