DPR Deputy Speaker Support Jokowi's Plan to Revise ITE Law

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The House of Representatives (DPR) Deputy Speaker, Azis Syamsuddin, welcomed the central government's plan to revise Law No. 11 of 2008 concerning Electronic Information and Transactions or known as ITE Law in consideration of many vague articles.

Based on the prevailing mechanism, the government could propose a revision of the law to the DPR.

“The DPR welcomes the revision plan. The public is also expected to use social media wisely. The ITE Law is always used by the people to report each other over minor problems on social media,” said Azis in a written statement on Tuesday, February 16.

The Golkar party deputy chairman hoped that the revised bill could reflect the principles of justice so there would be no more vague articles that potentially cause multiple interpretations and was easily used to report one another. The revision, he added, was aimed to maintain democracy and the freedom of opinion.

“We are fed up with the articles of defamation and insult. The law is often used by the public to make a report against each other to the police,” Azis said.

The revision plan of ITE Law was first conveyed by President Jokowi in front of the leaders of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police on Monday, February 15. “If the law cannot provide a sense of justice, I will ask the DPR to jointly revise this law,” said Jokowi as broadcasted on the Presidential Secretariat’s YouTube channel on Monday night, February 15.

Also Read: Jokowi Wants to Revise ITE Law, Maintains Ethical Digital Space

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