In a democratic country, responding to criticism and arguing the logic is part of seeking the truth. Please criticize, and allow those who are criticized to respondJakarta (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud MD has said that the Indonesian government is not anti-critic, but answered criticism with data.
"If the government answers criticism to compare opinions and data, do not label it as anti-critic" the minister stated in a written statement on Sunday.
The phrase is related to the controversy over the COVID-19 handling in Indonesia which had emerged since the beginning, especially when the Government issued Government Regulation in Lieu of the Law (Perppu) Number 1 of 2020.
The Perppu stipulation resulted in accusations that it was made by the government to corrupt and loot the state money by using the law.
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In fact, the government's reason for issuing Perppu Number 1 of 2020 is to handle the COVID-19 pandemic consistently in line with the 1945 Constitution.
"According to financial law, the government can be considered to violate the law if the state budget expenditure experiences a budget deficit of more than three percent of the GDP. We calculate that during the COVID-19, we will experience a more than three percent budget deficit. Therefore, we create the Perppu to tackle the problem," Mahfud conveyed.
The House of Representatives approved the Perppu to become Law Number 2 of 2020, after being tested by the Constitutional Court.
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Tthe Constitutional Court strengthened the phrase contained in Article 27 paragraph (2) that officials are considered not violating the law if they use an undefined amount of budget 'as long as it is carried out in good faith and in accordance with the laws and regulations.' The Constitutional Court later strengthened the phrase to Article 27 paragraph (1) and (3) as conditionally constitutional.
Thus, the government's decision has a legal basis and prioritizes the public interest namely to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this explanation, Mahfud gives data-based answers to public criticism.
"In a democratic country, responding to criticism and arguing the logic is part of seeking the truth. Please criticize, and allow those who are criticized to respond," he concluded.
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Translator: Putu Indah S, Resinta S
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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