ID :
20322
Sat, 09/20/2008 - 09:49
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/20322
The shortlink copeid
HOUSE POSTPONES ADOPTION OF PORNOGRAPHY BILL
Jakarta, Sept 19 (ANTARA) - The House of Representatives has decided to postpone passing the Pornography Bill originally scheduled to be done on September 23 because the public appeared not to be ready for it, a spokesman said.
The decision reflected the House's readiness to heed the suggestions made by members of the public in different parts of the country, Balkan Kaplale, chairman of the House special comittee handling the bill, said here Friday.
The composition of the committee's membership, in fact, also indicated that the committee was giving equal weight to regional views, he said.
Balkan's statement contradicted previous information given by committee member Ali Mochtar Ngabalin that the bill would be passed into law at a House plenary session on Tuesday, Sept 23.
Until now, there were also still divergent views on the bill among the various party factions in the House. The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) had rejected the bill while the Prosperity Justice Party (PKS) and the Democratic Prioneer Star Party (PBR) factions supported it.
Ali Mochtar Ngabalin, a member of the Crescent and Star Party (PBB) faction, mentioned the date for passing the bill in a statement at the launching of a book on Ahmadiyah, the controversial Islamic sect, on Thursday, Sept.18.
When asked about the PDIP faction's plan to boycott the House plenary session where the bill would be passed, Ngabalin said the session would decide on the bill through a vote.
He said there was no reason to fear that after the bill had become law, many regions in the country would adopt shariah-based by-laws. The fear was only created by parties who opposed the bill, he said.
"The bill is important for women and children who are harmed by pornography and pornographic acts," he said.
He denied the bill was favoring the concepts of a certain religion. The bill was based on an article in the 1945 Constitution saying that freedom of expression was subject to regulation through laws to uphold morality, religious and cultural values, he said.
The decision reflected the House's readiness to heed the suggestions made by members of the public in different parts of the country, Balkan Kaplale, chairman of the House special comittee handling the bill, said here Friday.
The composition of the committee's membership, in fact, also indicated that the committee was giving equal weight to regional views, he said.
Balkan's statement contradicted previous information given by committee member Ali Mochtar Ngabalin that the bill would be passed into law at a House plenary session on Tuesday, Sept 23.
Until now, there were also still divergent views on the bill among the various party factions in the House. The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) had rejected the bill while the Prosperity Justice Party (PKS) and the Democratic Prioneer Star Party (PBR) factions supported it.
Ali Mochtar Ngabalin, a member of the Crescent and Star Party (PBB) faction, mentioned the date for passing the bill in a statement at the launching of a book on Ahmadiyah, the controversial Islamic sect, on Thursday, Sept.18.
When asked about the PDIP faction's plan to boycott the House plenary session where the bill would be passed, Ngabalin said the session would decide on the bill through a vote.
He said there was no reason to fear that after the bill had become law, many regions in the country would adopt shariah-based by-laws. The fear was only created by parties who opposed the bill, he said.
"The bill is important for women and children who are harmed by pornography and pornographic acts," he said.
He denied the bill was favoring the concepts of a certain religion. The bill was based on an article in the 1945 Constitution saying that freedom of expression was subject to regulation through laws to uphold morality, religious and cultural values, he said.
