(Indonesian Trade Union Confederation, the Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions, the Confederation of Indonesian Prosperity Trade Union, Imparsial, ICW, Yapika, Legal Aid Foundation, Contrast, Walhi, LBH Jakarta, Elsam, Wahid Institute, Falun Gong Indonesia, Greenpeace Indonesia, Arus Pelangi, PBHI, HRWG, Setara Institute, PSHK, TURC, JSKK, Chief of General Staff, The RIDEP Institute, IT, Infid, KRHN, Legal Aid Society, Alliance of Agrarian Reform Movement (AGRA), the Indonesian Migrant Workers Union, Announcers, Study Circle Action for Democracy Indonesia (LS-ADI), National students Front (FMN), the Alliance of Indonesian Workers, Indies, GSBI, WWF Indonesia and many more)

Jakarta (1/7) - The government’s attitude and a few of the members of Indonesian House of Representatives that forced endorsement of the Mass Organization Bill on July 2, 2013 is a concrete manifestation of betrayal of the Reform and Constitution. The Mass Organization Bill will turn off the main essence of the Constitutional and Reform namely the freedom and democratic politics.
 
Inside a political system that is democratic, the Mass Organization Bill is actually not needed. In a democratic system, the people are the ones who should control the power and not the other way around where the government controls and contains the people through the Mass Organization Bill. The logic of a controlled and restraint country towards the people is a logic that lives through a political nature of Authoritarian and Fascist.
 
Paradigm is built on relationships of the people and the state should guarantee and provide a space as wide as possible for the people in the life of association, assembly and organization, rather than restrictions that curbs that freedom. Community participation in associations and assemblies is a true wealth in Democracy and not a threat. Because the political advancement is certainly very dependent on the participation of the people in power to control the organization through a variety of vessels.  
 
The Mass Organization Bill still shows strong hegemony of nuances against the people. The Mass Organization Bill will be the intersection point of the democratic political life towards a new authoritarianism through strict state controls over the people.
 
We assess that the government and parliament have been mistaken and thoughtfully misguided in shaping the Mass Organization Bill. The government and parliament should have appealed to the Organization Law No. 8 Year 1985 and not to revise it which precisely further worsens the state control and repression against the people. 
 
Although the Indonesian House of Representatives and the government changed the articles contained in the Bill, it does not guarantee that the Mass Organization Bill will be better. Because the philosophical foundation, juridical and sociological formation of the Mass Organization Bill is already wrong and a mistake from the beginning. Neither organization Laws nor the Mass Organization Bill is needed in a democratic political system.
 
We urge the government and the parliament not to approve the Mass Organization Bill on July 2, 2013. At the same time, the government and the parliament, perhaps as soon as possible, repeal the Mass Organization Act No. 8 Year 1985. If the parliament and the government still approve, it means they have betrayed the reform and Constitution. Thus, we will continue to oppose the politics and the law. Hopefully, the Indonesian House of Representatives still has the spirit of reform and the spirit of Constitution to not pass the Mass Organization Bill on July 2, 2013.
 

For more info, please kindly contact:
Fathi Hanif, Good Governance Specialist, WWF-Indonesia
Email: fhanif@wwf.or.id, Mobile: +62 813 1569 4609