Nicholas Ryan Aditya, Jakarta – House of Representatives (DPR) Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad from the Greater Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) says that they will consider a proposal to discuss revisions to the Information and Electronic Transaction (ITE) Law by a special committee.
The proposal was conveyed earlier by the ITE Law Victims Association (PAKU ITE) and the Serious ITE Coalition when they held an audience with the DPR's legislative body (Baleg) on Tuesday July 5.
"We will discuss it at the Bamus (Consultative Body), later public proposals, proposals from related commissions that feel they should be involved. We will consider them there", said Ahmad at the parliamentary complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Wednesday July 6.
He said that they cannot yet make a decision on who will discuss the revisions because, according to Ahmad, it is the authority of the Bamus to determine this.
"Whether it will then stay with Commission I, or whether we'll form a special committee, it'll be in accordance with what's needed", he said.
Ahmad however admitted that he did not know when a Bamus meeting would be held, although he confirmed that it would be sometime after the next 2021-2022 sitting period.
"Because we're already in a recess, later (it will be discussed), meaning at the next sitting period", he said in conclusion.
Earlier, the PAKU ITE and the Serious ITE Coalition urged the DPR to immediately revise Law Number 2016 on ITE.
This is because the promised revisions to the ITE Law have stalled mid-way even though the government sent a revised draft and presidential letter (surpres) to the DPR in late 2021.
"We are urging the DPR to be proactive and immediately form an ITE Law revision committee to overcome the standstill in discussion on revising the ITE Law. The ball is now in the DPR leadership's court to make an immediate decision", said PAKU ITE Chairperson Muhammad Arsyad in a press release on Tuesday.
The victims of the ITE Law who were present during the audience with the DPR talked about the impact the ITE Law has had on them.
One of them was Baiq Nuril Maknun – a victim of the ITE Law who later received an amnesty from President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo – who said that although her case is over, the trauma which befell her and her family has not yet gone away.
"I hope that revisions to the ITE Law will truly be implemented so there are no more people like me who will be criminalised by the ITE Law", said Maknun.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Korban UU ITE Desak Revisi Dibahas Pansus, Pimpinan DPR: Kita Akan Pertimbangkan".]
