Jakarta – The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) has rejected an invitation to attend a public hearing with the House of Representative’s (DPR) Legislative Body (Baleg) to discuss the Draft Omnibus Law on Job Creation on Wednesday June 10.
Walhi Executive Director Nur Hidayati stated that they refused to take part in the meeting with the DPR because in their view the Omnibus Law (RUU Omnibus Law Ciptaker) is not urgent and is not in the spirit of protecting the environment.
Based on studies that have been conducted, she continued, the spirit of the Omnibus Law is instead to protect investment by abolishing crucial stipulations in Law Number 32/2009 on Protecting and Managing the Environment.
“The RUU Omnibus Law Ciptaker is not in any way directed at protecting the interests of the ordinary people. The content of the RUU Omnibus Law Ciptaker instead abolishes space for participation and minimalises the protection of citizen’s basic rights”, said Hidayati in a press release received by CNN Indonesia on Wednesday.
Hidayati explained that the Omnibus Law will increase the rate of environmental destruction, perpetuate a situation of environmental crisis and place the ordinary people under the threat of disasters.
Aside from the substance of the law which fails to side with the interests of the environment and the ordinary people, said Hidayati, during the drafting stage the law went through a process which was not in accordance with the stipulations of Law Number 12/2011 on the Formulation of Regulations and Laws in conjunction with Law Number 15/2019 on Revisions to Law Number 12/2011.
Leaving this aside, Hidayati said that the Omnibus Law deliberations have no urgency, are irrelevant and should not be continued. “The DPR must halt the entire process which is currently taking place”, she said.
Based on an agenda received by CNN Indonesia, Walhi along with University of Indonesia Law Faculty Professor M Ramdan Andri Gunawan, Parahyangan University Professor Asep Warlan Yusuf and Gajah Mada University Forestry Faculty Professor San Afri Awang were invited to attend a public hearing with the DPR’s Baleg to discuss the Draft Omnibus Law on Job Creation related to material on the environment and forestry. (mts/osc)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was “Walhi Tolak Undangan Rapat DPR: Omnibus Law Bukan buat Rakyat”.]
