"Could the Bill on Criminal Code be passed as law?" DPR RI Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad asked the members of parliament during the plenary session at the Parliament Complex here.
Legislators present at the plenary session unanimously responded to the speaker in the affirmative, signalling approval of the bill's passing. Minister of Law and Human Rights Yasonna Hamonangan Laoly represented the government while being present at the plenary session.
Ahmad said that all party fractions have concurred to table the Criminal Code Bill to the plenary session for approval during its first reading.
During the plenary session, a legislator from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) fraction, Iskan Qolba Lubis, interrupted the meeting by requesting an opportunity to deliver his statement, yet Ahmad decided to halt the interruption.
He clarified that the decision to stop the interruption was taken since the legislator had requested to withdraw some articles from the draft despite his party fraction having concurred with advancing the Criminal Code Bill to the second reading.
"There is a fraction asking to deliver their statement on the draft Criminal Code, and I have given the opportunity for them to speak, but when they instead asked to withdraw some articles from the draft, they have been inconsistent," the deputy speaker pointed out.
Meanwhile, DPR RI Commission III Chair Bambang Wuryanto emphasized that the Criminal Code Bill should be passed to set a breakthrough in reforming the national criminal code to be consistent with the national development goals.
He said that the new Criminal Code would realize justice in Indonesia's criminal law instead of merely prioritizing deterrent and retributive punishments.
The Criminal Code has been perfected through holistic means by accommodating inputs from all members of society to prevent the recurrence of criminalization and abuse perpetrated by law enforcers, Wuryanto expounded.
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Translator: Imam Budilaksono, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Sri Haryati
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