Groups rejects bill on state secrets

Ruslan Sangadji
The Jakarta Post
Palu, Central Sulawesi

Several groups declared Saturday their opposition to a bill on state secrets which is currently being discussed at the Justice and Human Rights Ministry.

The groups include the Palu People's Education Foundation, International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (Infid) and the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI).

The groups announced their opposition in a joint statement, read out by Edmond Leonard, ad-hoc coordinator of Sulawesi Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence, saying that the bill might lead to a regime that was not transparent and will not take into account people's right to information.

"This is a threat to the development of democracy in Indonesia, it resurrects a repressive regime and blocks people's access to information," Edmond said.

Deputy director of the Indonesian Human Rights Monitor (Imparsial), Rusdi Marpaung, said the substance of the bill had already been covered by another bill on the freedom of access to information currently being discussed at the House of Representatives.

"The bill on state secrets contradicts this and is a step back in efforts to uphold democracy and instead, resurrects a repressive regime," he said.

If the bill is made into law, Rusdi fears it might block anticorruption groups from investigating officials' involvement in graft cases.

"Such things might happen since the law will legalize it as a state secret. It is another step backward to the New Order," he said.