Agus Rahmat and Eduward Ambarita – Postings by artists and influencers on social media supporting the Draft Omnibus Law on Job Creation (RUU Cipta Kerja) have attracted lively debate. Suspicions have emerged that they are being mobilised by the government.
Although the draft law is still being deliberated by the House of Representatives (DPR), some groups, activists, students and labour organisations, have rejected the draft law proposed by the government.
The Palace as spoken out in response to accusations that the government is mobilising artists and influencers to support the law. Expert Presidential Staff member Donny Gahral Adian says that the artists and influencers are acting on their own initiative.
“It’s spontaneous. There has been no direction from the government”, said Adian when asked to respond to the allegations on Thursday August 13.
According to Adian, the campaign using the hashtag #IndonesiaButuhKerja (#IndonesiaNeedsJobs) is perhaps just a personal initiative on the part of the artists and influencers.
The government has absolutely not, asserted Adian, mobilised them to support the government’s desire to push through the Omnibus Law. “All socialisation remains official from the government and the DPR”, he said.
Earlier, social media influencer Gritte Agatha was slammed by netizens over an Instagram posting in which she voiced her views about the Draft Omnibus Law on Job Creation.
In the initial video uploaded by Agatha she explained about the impacts of the Covid-19 epidemic, one of which was its impact on jobs.
“Perhaps others have conflicting views about Covid-19 but I’m thinking more about its impact on us, especially the problem of unemployment”, said Agatha in the video.
According to Agatha, the draft law is an effort by the government to create employment opportunities. The law, said Agatha, will facilitate investment.
“I’m telling you guys, so the government is currently creating a solution, namely formulating the RUU Cipta Kerja, namely a law that is aimed at facilitating investment, so later more and better job opportunities will be created”, said Agatha.
Agatha then invites netizens to stand shoulder-to-shoulder in support of the government. She adds she is aware that there is support and opposition to the law, but she doesn’t want to waste energy thinking about it. (ren)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was “ Istana Bantah Gerakkan Influencer hingga Artis Dukung RUU Omnibus Law”.]
