Jakarta – The National Alliance for Criminal Code Reform is demanding transparency from the government and the House of Representatives (DPR) on articles in the Draft Criminal Code (RKUHP) which regulate offences related to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) practices.
"Me and also the National Alliance for KUHP Reform are demanding transparency. Because so far there has yet to be a draft or even deliberations on the RKUHP which have been reopened to the public", said Crisis Respond Mechanism (CRM) crisis response staff member Riska Carolina when contacted by CNN Indonesia on Wednesday May 11.
The CRM is a consortium which focuses on mobilising resources to prevent and deal with crisis among sexual and gender minority groups.
Carolina said that this was in response to a statement by DPR Commission III member Arsul Sani from the Islamic based United Development Party (PPP) who said that offences related to LGBT practices and adultery have been included in the RKUHP as a result of deliberations at the DPR.
Carolina explained that up until now, the version of the RKUHP which they have is a draft copy from September 2019.
Moreover, Carolina is also urging that the draft law not discriminate against citizens, including in relation to the private sphere.
"So don't discriminate against LGBT anymore... please keep away, whoever the policy makers are, whoever the power holders are at the moment, please keep away from citizens' private space", she said.
Earlier, Arsul Sani raised the issue in response to a statement on social media by Coordinating Minister for Security, Politics and Legal Affairs Mahfud MD.
"On the adultery and LGBT obscene behaviour offences they are already included in the RKUHP resulting from discussions with the government and the DPR in the previous period. So it doesn't need to be pushed anymore, because it has indeed already been deliberated and agreed to", said Sani when contacted on Wednesday.
The LGBT issue has again become the subject of public attention after celebrity Deddy Corbuzier uploaded a podcast video recording on his YouTube channel. The video was an interview with a same-sex couple on the LGBT theme titled "A TUTORIAL ON BEING GAY IN INDO! = MOVE TO GERMANY (watch before going berserk) RAGIL AND FRED-Podcast".
The podcast attracted responses from a number of figures such as Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI) Proselytizing Division Chairperson Cholil Nafis and social and religious observer Anwar Abbas.
After the podcast created a public uproar, Corbuzier apologised and deleted the video. This was done in response to a request by prominent Islamic preacher Miftah Maulana Habiburrahman – better known as Gus Miftah – who has been guiding Corbuzier to become a new convert. (pop/kid)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "LGBT Masuk Draf RKUHP, Publik Minta Transparansi".]
