Indonesia's president urged lawmakers on Friday to delay a vote on a proposed new criminal code amid mounting criticism of the bill, which opponents say threatens democracy and discriminates against minorities.
Updating Indonesia's criminal code, a legacy of the Dutch colonial era, has taken more than two decades. A parliamentary task force finalized the 628-article bill on Sept. 15 and lawmakers are slated to vote on it on Sept. 24.
President Joko Widodo said he made the decision after considering public concerns. He said the bill should not be decided on by members of the current House of Representatives, whose terms end in early October, and deliberations should be conducted by the new lawmakers.
Cutout and portraits of Indonesian President Joko Widodo are displayed at a stall that sells portraits of Indonesian leaders, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Sept. 20, 2019. Widodo has asked lawmakers to delay a vote on a proposed new criminal code amid critics saying that the bill contains articles that may discriminate against minorities and violate freedom of speech.(AP PhotoTatan Syuflana)
"After learning the inputs from society, I concluded, there are some materials that needed further study," Widodo told reporters at the presidential palace in the capital, Jakarta.
"I hope the House shares the same stance on this matter ... that the passing of the criminal code bill into law should be postponed."
Critics say the bill contains articles that may violate the rights of women, religious minorities, lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender people, as well as the freedoms of speech and association.
Widodo said he has ordered the minister of law and human rights, Yasonna Laoly, to meet with lawmakers to convey his decision and hopes they will approve.
He said he has also instructed Laoly to obtain the input of various communities while discussing the substance of the articles with the new lawmakers.
A copy of the draft bill obtained by The Associated Press includes several revised articles penalizing adultery, sex outside marriage, cohabitation, abortion and the promotion of contraception. The bill also restores a ban on insulting the president that had been repealed by the Constitutional Court.
The bill punishes extramarital sex by up to a year in jail, while the current code says only that married couples can be prosecuted for sex outside marriage based on police reports lodged by their spouse or children.
The bill could effectively criminalize all same-sex relations and subject sex workers to criminal prosecution.
It states that couples who live together without being married can be sentenced to six months in jail and criminalizes "obscene acts" in public with up to six months' imprisonment.
It also expands a current Blasphemy Law and maintains a 5-year prison term for deviations from the central tenets of Indonesia's six recognized religions — Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism.
Rights activists say more than 150 people, most of them religious minorities, including former Jakarta Gov. Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, have been convicted under the 1965 Blasphemy Law.
Citizens could face a 10-year sentence under the bill for associating with organizations that follow Marxist-Leninist ideology and a four-year sentence for spreading communism.
Rights activists and civic groups have warned that some articles would lead to criminalization of normal activities and threaten freedom of expression and the right to privacy.
Human Rights Watch said Wednesday that Parliament should substantially revise the bill to meet international human rights standards.
"Lawmakers should remove all the abusive articles before passing the law," said Andreas Harsono, a senior Indonesia researcher at the group.
He said laws penalizing criticism of public leaders are contrary to international law, and the fact that some forms of expression are considered insulting is not sufficient to justify restrictions or penalties.
Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation, is an outpost of democracy in a Southeast Asian neighborhood of authoritarian governments.
DETROIT (AP) — The Oakland Athletics no longer have to wonder where they'll play the next few seasons. That won't make the long goodbye any easier.
The A's reacted to the announcement that this will be their last year in Oakland with a mixture of sadness and relief.
“At least as a player, you know where you’re headed,” outfielder Seth Brown said Friday before a game against the Tigers in Detroit. “There’s obviously a lot of moving parts, a lot of stuff we’re not privy to, so it’s just been kind of a waiting game on our end. Where are we going to go? Where are we going to be? So I think just having that knowledge -- at least we know where we’re going to be playing next year.”
Vivek Ranadivé, who owns the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, and Oakland Athletics owner John Fisher announced Thursday that the A’s will temporarily relocate to West Sacramento's Sutter Health Park for at least three seasons. The A's are moving to Las Vegas after a new ballpark is constructed.
The River Cats, who are affiliated with the San Francisco Giants, will continue to play at the same facility.
Fisher was unable to reach an agreement with Oakland city officials on extending the lease at Oakland Coliseum, which expires at the end of this season. The A's have played in the city since 1968.
“There's direction now, which we've talked a lot about,” Oakland A's manager Mark Kotsay said. “We've got time to kind of reflect on what this really means from an organizational standpoint, the history that we've had in Oakland, with this being now the final season. There's a lot of emotion that goes behind this.”
It will not only cause some upheaval for the players and staff but also members of the organization that work behind the scenes.
“At the end of the day, we know where we're going to be for the next three seasons after the finish this year and that in itself gives a little bit of stability,” Kotsay said. “At the same time, in the present, it's challenging in certain ways to think about the finality of this organization in Oakland.”
Sacramento will be a much smaller environment to house a major league team. Ranadivé said the River Cats venue currently seats 16,000 when counting the stands, the lawn behind center field and standing room only.
First baseman Ryan Noda is concerned with the facilities. He's hopeful that significant upgrades will be made, much like the Toronto Blue Jays did at Buffalo's Triple-A facility. The Blue Jays played at Buffalo's Sahlen Field in 2020 in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“New walls, new dugouts, new locker rooms — everything they needed to become a big league stadium,” said Noda, who played some games in Sacramento as a minor leaguer. “As long as we can do something like that, then it'll be all right. But it's definitely going to be different than playing in stadiums that hold 40,000 people.”
Kotsay is confident the upgrades will occur.
“I know it will be of major league baseball quality,” he said. “It's has to be of major league baseball quality. I know the Players Association will make sure that takes place, as they did in Buffalo.”
For the rest of this season, the A's will have to deal with small home crowds and disappointed fans.
“We’re sad for the fans, the diehard fans, who always come to our games, always support us, always support the boys wearing the jersey,” Noda said.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, center, shakes hands John Fisher, owner of the Oakland Athletics, before the start of a news conference where Fisher announced his team will leave Oakland after this season and play temporarily at a minor league park, during a news conference in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4 2024.The A's announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
John Fisher, owner of the Oakland Athletics baseball team, announces that his team will leave Oakland after this season and play temporarily at a minor league park, during a news conference in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2024. The A's announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Sutter Health Park, home of the Triple A team Sacramento River Cats, is shown in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2024. The Oakland Athletics announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Oakland Athletics manager Mark Kotsay walks to the dugout after making a pitching change during the eighth inning of the team's baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, March 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
