Habib Claims Prabowo Government Is More Democratic Than Its Predecessor

Habiburokhman, chairman of the Indonesian parliament’s Commission III, says President Prabowo Subianto’s government is “far more democratic” than the administration that came before it.

He made the claim during a follow-up hearing on the Asset Forfeiture Bill at the parliamentary complex in Senayan, Jakarta. The Gerindra deputy chairman said the bill had a much lower chance of becoming an instrument of political power under the current government.

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The current government under Mr. Prabowo is now far more democratic.

Habiburokhman said some people had suspected that a more extreme draft circulated under the previous administration could have been used to eliminate political opponents. “The symptom of using the law as an instrument of power is, in my view, now much lighter than under the previous government,” he said.

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The symptom of using the law as an instrument of power is, in my view, now much lighter than under the previous government.

He also questioned the current debate over the 13 criminal offenses covered by the proposed law, saying lawmakers had been pressured from the beginning to pass it quickly. He said implementation would look to developed countries, but warned that Indonesia would need to consider whether its law-enforcement agencies could maintain the same level of integrity.

“Perhaps in developed countries it is fine because their law-enforcement officers have integrity, do not take bribes, do not criminalize political opponents and do not criminalize critical people,” he said. Habiburokhman promised that the bill would not become a tool of power after its passage, saying lawmakers must think like ordinary citizens because they could one day be outside government.

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How will the law be used when we are no longer in power, by people who are in power as an instrument of their authority? That is what we always think about.