Der Kampf gegen das neoliberale „Omnibus-Gesetz“ in Indonesien geht weiter – Stellungnahme und Aufruf der Confederation of Indonesian People’s Movements

Die Konföderation indonesischer Volksorganisationen (KPRI) hat am 21. Oktober 2020 ihren Aufruf „President Must Revoke Job Creation Law!“ in englischer Übersetzung im Alternativen Gewerkschaftlichen Netzwerk für Solidarität und Kampf verbreitet, dessen Mitglied sie ist. Darin unterstreicht der Zusammenschluss gewerkschaftlicher, sozialer und ökologischer Organisationen, dass der Präsident dieses Gesetz sofort zurücknehmen muss und Garantien geben, dass die demokratischen Freiheiten in Indonesien wieder hergestellt werden – weil sie im Zuge der Polizeirepression gegen die Massenproteste faktisch abgeschafft worden seien. Schon die weitgehend heimliche Entstehung des Gesetzes, unter Vermeidung jeglicher demokratischer Beteiligung mache seine Absichten deutlich – die die Mitgliedsorganisationen der Konföderation in ihren jeweiligen gesellschaftlichen Tätigkeitsbereichen erleben und bekämpfen. Die großen Gemeinsamkeiten, die in der gemeinsamen Ablehnung dieses neoliberalen antisozialen Paketes deutlich wurden und bisherige Organisations- und Orientierungsgrenzen immer wieder deutlich geworden seien können und müssen genutzt werden, um eine anti-neoliberale politische Organisation zu schaffen, die diesen gemeinsamen Kampf weiterführe. Dabei zählt die KPRI, wie immer auf die internationale Solidarität gerade auch des Netzwerkes. Wir dokumentieren die Erklärung – die wir hiermit sehr knapp deutsch zusammen gefasst haben – im Folgenden in ganzer Länge – ergänzen dies durch drei aktuelle Beiträge zur Entwicklung und Bewertung der Proteste und verweisen noch auf einen unserer früheren Beiträge zum Massenwiderstand gegen das Omnibus-Gesetz in Indonesien:

President Must Revoke Job Creation Law! Issued Government Regulation in Lie of Law Immediately!
Build an Alternative Political Party from the Unite Multi-Sector People’s Movement!

Greetings for all comrade in fairness, equal and prosperous within!

The approval of the Job Creation Omnibuslaw by the Indonesia House of Representatives (DPR-RI) on October 5, 2020 evoke the brush-off voices by a student, workers, farmers, fishermen, indigenous peoples, women and others marginalized groups, were their voices are not heard by the parliament representatives, and the central government. The drum of resistance was getting stronger of the Job Creation Bill has been voiced by various groups in the society for months. A series of large protests were held, starting from groups of workers, farmers, indigenous people, fishermen, women and students, scattered in cities and districts in Indonesia. Mass protests that took place in several cities were marked by arrests by security forces, accompanied by violence. Thousands of people were detained, injured, and some of the people missing were not identified. During the detention process, the security forces refused to give access to parents and legal representatives to meet the detained persons.

The sound waves of resistance of the Omnibuslaw Job Creation need to be understood because there many problems in the drafting process that violate the provisions of the constitution, the substance is chaotic, until after it is approved, this bill has undergone many improvements afterwards. The process is carried out in a closed manner for the society participation, in the midst of a health crisis due to the Corrona pandemic. A total of 127 members of the Omnibuslaw Job Creation task force were dominated by politicians and capitalist. So, do not be strange if the public accuses the existence of malicious schemes behind the discussion of this bill, that only benefiting of a few people as capital worshipers.
The Job creation bill are hidden to the public, one of the Omnibus Law Task Force stated that they were required to keep the Omnibus Law draft confidential to the public in January 2020. Even, the National Human Rights Commission requested the draft to the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs were not responded. The public can only get a limited access of public information, after the government submitted a Presidential Letter as well as an academic paper and the draft Job Creation bill to the Indonesia parliament on February 12, 2020.

Besides the drafting process that closes the space for public participation. It is also very problematic in substance. The drafting process applies capital „at one sweep“ by amending 79 sectoral laws at once, with 1,244 articles, which impact the recognized and protected rights of the Indonesian people. With the breadth of substance in the Omnibuslaw Job Creation Bill, the basis and direction should be placed in the interests of the wider community. But the reality is that the draft work creation bill tends to protect and prioritize the interests of investment and capital owners, rather than protecting the rights of marginalized groups, laborers, farmers, indigenous peoples, fishermen, and women. On the contrary, the existence of this Omnibuslaw Job Creation Bill will put people more vulnerable, at risk and continue to be oppressed.

In the workforce sector, the Omnibuslaw Job Creation Bill has the potential to reverse the fulfillment and protection of the right to work, and guarantee a decent life. Some examples of these setbacks can be seen in the provisions stipulated in the Omnibuslaw Job Creation Bill, such as restrictions on work that can be done in contract work agreements, loss of rights for annual leave, maternity leave, menstruation and wages that are fully determined by the regional government authority through the Governor without nvolvement labor representatives, and ignore wage councils.

This condition will increase the number of industrial relations disputes between workers and companies.

The National Human Rights Commission noted that in the period 2015-2019, there were 2,813 reports of alleged human rights violations by corporations. A total of 213 are related to violations of the right to work and the guarantee of a decent life, including not being given normative rights such as wages, unilateral layoffs, and obstruction of trade union activities.

Meanwhile, in the environmental and land aspects, the Omnibuslaw Job Creation Bill raises a very significant problem. Among them are the elimination of environmental permits for business activities, allowing the delegation of environmental feasibility tests to be carried out by private parties, and reducing public participation in the preparation of environmental impact analysis documents, and eliminating the position of the Environmental Impact Analysis Assessment Commission. These provisions are regulated in the Omnibuslaw Job Creation Bill only to facilitate investment enter to Indonesia. Without considering the major impact on the sustainability of life of indigenous peoples, peasant, farmers and fishermen. This Omnibuslaw Job Creation Bill also has the potential to cause loss of corporate responsibility in managing and protecting life, with a change in the concept of absolute liability (strict liability), for example, it will eliminate corporate responsibility in overcoming forest and land fires in its concession areas.

The other things that also have an impact as a result of the passage of the Omnibuslaw Job Creation Bill, potentially raised forced evictions, the threat of food sovereignty, and worsening land and groundwater inequality and access. This further shows that the Omnibuslaw Job Creation Bill is a threat to the rights of citizens which should be protected by the state in accordance with its obligations.

Based on the fact considerations, the Indonesian People’s Movement Confederation (KPRI) stated:
1. Urge President Joko Widodo to issue a Government Regulation in Lieu of Law (Perppu) to remove the enactment of the Omnibuslaw Job Creation Bill;
2. Urge President Joko Widodo to order the Indonesian National Police Chief (KAPOLRI) to protect the rights of citizens to express public opinion, and to stop arrests and violence against protesters.
3. Build unity among multi-sector people’s movement organizations to build alternative political forces to counter Neoliberal policies;
4. Build unity and solidarity for all elements of the people to create sovereignty, independence and prosperity for the Indonesian people.
5. Call for international solidarity support to support the movement of the Indonesian people from the threat of sustainability to the right to life, guarantees of protection and security of expression, and guarantees of decent life as a result of the Omnibuslaw Job Creation bill.
Jakarta, October 21, 2020

Siehe auch:

• „Indonesian unions vow mass protests if president signs jobs law“ vom 24. Oktober 2020 ist eine Reuters-Meldung zur Erklärung der Gewerkschaften in Indonesien, der Präsident müsse dieses Gesetz zurück ziehen – sonst werde es weitere und noch stärkere Mobilisierung dagegen geben.

• „Indonesia Is in the Middle of a New Protest Wave“ von Alex de Jong am 26. Oktober 2020 beim Jacobin Mag bewertet die aktuelle Politik und die Proteste dagegen auch als einen zentralen Kampf um die demokratischen Freiheiten in Indonesien, wie sie nach dem Sturz der jahrzehntelangen Suharto-Diktatur errungen wurden.

• „Proteste reißen nicht ab“ am 29. Oktober 2020 bei Asien Aktuell meldet: „Erneut haben in Jakarta Tausende gegen das Omnibus Law demonstriert. Es waren Gewerkschafter, aber vor allem StudentInnen. Die Polizei hatte an die 20 000 Leute in Bereitschaft. Proteste gab es auch anderswo, so zum Beispiel in Merauke, Papua“.  (Asien aktuell 10882)

• Siehe zum Kampf gegen das Omnibus-Gesetz unter anderem: „[14. – 16. August 2020] Ein Wochenende des Widerstandes in Indonesien: Gegen das „Omnibus-Gesetz“ im Dienste „ausländischer Investoren““ am 17. August 2020 im LabourNet Germany