Jakarta -– A coalition of civil society activists calling themselves the Indonesian People’s Protest demonstrated in front of the House of Representatives (DPR) building in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday February 28. The thousands of protesters were opposing the ratification of Government Regulation in Lieu of Law (Perppu) Number 2/2022 on the Jobs Law, which they said had many irregularities in the way it was issued. One of these was the anomaly related to the reason for issuing the Jobs Law Perppu and statements on the post-pandemic economic situation. On the one hand, the Perppu was issued to guarantee economic stability yet the government often states that Indonesia is still safe from the threat of global recession. “Instead of implementing MK [Constitutional Court] ruling 91 that declared the Jobs Law conditionally unconstitutional, the government instead issued several policies and legislation that violates the constitution and the ideals of the Indonesian nation that is free from all forms of colonialism”, explained a press release by the Indonesian People’s Protest. Moreover, according to the group the Perppu threatens several social sectors ranging from workers, students and vulnerable communities in urban areas to farmers, fisherpeople, traditional communities and women in rural areas remote parts of the country. For the agrarian sector, the Perppu liberalises and privatises land. For the labour sector, the Perppu only benefits the interests of employers and further undermines workers’ rights. For the environmental sector, the Perppu makes many changes to the stipulations on protecting the environment, such as reducing the involvement of communities in the drafting of environmental impact analysis (AMDAL) documents. For the forestry sector, the Perppu is simply a mechanism to accommodate illegal activities in forest areas by corporations. For the education sector, there are regulations that cause the state to relinquish its responsibility to pay for education and gives authority to campuses to seek their own funding. As for civil freedoms, the Perppu conflicts with the principles in the human rights law and shows the minimal interest by the government in protecting, respecting and fulfilling human rights in the midst of a social situation that that only just recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic. Because of this, the Indonesian People’s Protest is presenting 10 demands related to the Jobs Law Perppu and related issues, namely: 1. That the president immediately revoke the Jobs Law Perppu. 2. That the DPR reject the Jobs Law issued by the president. 3. That the president and the DPR immediately halt all forms of betrayal and rebellion against the constitution. 4. The abolition of contract labour systems, outsourcing, exploitative apprenticeship systems, an end to the politics of low wages, and implementing wages in accordance with a reasonable quality of life. 5. Stop agrarian liberalisation and land theft, reject the land bank and implement agrarian reform as a basis for national development. 6. Create academic freedom and education that is free, scientific and democratic at all levels of education. 7. Stop the criminalisation of the people’s movement in all sectors. 8. Provide protection and guarantees of job security for employees not categorised as civil servants (family planning instructors, honorary teachers, fishing and maritime workers), ride hailing drivers and so on. 9. Revoke all policies and legislation that conflicts with the constitution. 10. Immediately issue and ratify all legislation that protects the ordinary people’s rights (the draft laws on the protection of domestic workers, transportation and ride hailing workers and traditional communities).

 Opposing Jobs Law decree, protesters present ’national traitors’ with nasi tumpeng

Jakarta — Demonstrators opposing the government regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) replacing the Omnibus Law on Job Creation brought “sesajen” (special food with spiritual meaning) in the form of nasi tumpeng (ceremonial dish of yellow rice served in cone shape) and fruits of the earth to a rally at the House of Representatives (DPR) building in Central Jakarta on Tuesday February 28. The protesters carried the tumpeng from Jalan Gatot Subroto in the direction of the MPR main building along with biers and yellow flags (usually symbolising death) with the message reading “Fall of the People’s Voice”. Punco, a representatives of the Fraternity of Indonesian Muslim Workers (FPMI) said that the tumpeng and the fruits were a form of syukur (thanksgiving to God) and at the same time expressed the people’s disappointment with the government and the people’s representatives. “This is evidence that this food has been accompanied by the suffering of the ordinary people. This shows that the government has turn the people into slaves for their own interests”, Punco told journalists. “On the one hand, this is a gift from the people’s self-sufficiency. Not because of development”, he added. Meanwhile the chairperson of the 92 Independent Prosperity Trade Union (SBSI 1992), Sunarti, said that the tumpeng they brought would be given to DPR members as a form of protest against the traitors of the people. “For the national traitors we present this as the product of the ordinary people. This is what we bring today, syukur flavoured tumpeng mixed with the feelings of concern”, said Sunarti. “And these biers are a reminder that the traitors of the nation will end up in such biers”, he concluded. A number of other social organisations calling themselves the People’s Ultimatum Movement and the Indonesian People’s Protest held demonstrations in front of the parliament on Tuesday.

 Ignoring downpour, workers rally at parliament against ratification of Jobs Law decree

Jakarta — The Labour Alliance held a demonstration in front of the parliamentary complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Tuesday February 28, rejecting plans to enact the government regulation in lieu of Law (Perppu) to replace the Omnibus Law on Job Creation (Ciptaker). Coinciding with a heavy downpour of rain, workers began filling the roads in front of the parliamentary complex at around 2 pm. The thousands of workers who attended however were not deterred by rain. Some carried umbrellas and others wore rain coats, although many did not cover their bodies and were soaked by the rain. The workers were opposing plans by the House of Representatives (DPR) to ratify the Jobs Law Perppu that was issued by the government at the end of last year. The protesters said that the Perppu is invalid as an alternative to the Constitutional Court ruling in November 2021 that declared the Omnibus Law on Job Creation conditionally unconstitutional. “Our demand is rejecting the Perppu being deliberated by the DPR, and ask that the DPR cancel the deliberations on Perppu Number 2/2022 [on Ciptaker]”, said a representative of the protesters, Endang Hidayat. Several of the workers brought biers symbolising the victims of the Jobs Law. They also brought nasi tumpeng (ceremonial dish of yellow rice served in cone shape) and snacks that were carried on the workers shoulders. The DPR’s Legislative Body (Baleg) earlier agreed to take the Jobs Law Perppu to a plenary meeting to enact it into law. The meeting, which was held at the parliamentary complex on Wednesday February 15, was attended by Coordinating Economics Minister Airlangga Hartarto and Coordinating Minister for Security, Politics and Legal Affairs Mahfud MD.

Surya Dua Artha Simanjuntak
Tria Sutrisna
CNN Indonesia

Click here to subscribe to ESSF newsletters in English and/or French.