INDONESIA
Some Indonesian Public Servants have expressed dismay over a Government decree aimed at curbing radicalism in in the bureaucracy, while others have supported the move.
The decree, signed by 11 Ministries and State bodies, prohibits Public Servants from expressing opinions on social media that contain ‘hate speech’, oppose the country’s constitution, and are critical of the Government.
It further says that Public Servants cannot share posts that express opinions on such issues or show their approval for them by liking or commenting on any posts.
A Public Servant and active Twitter user with more than 13,000 followers, Ahmad Taufiq said the decree could potentially violate freedom of speech as the rules seemed open to multiple interpretations.
“For example, what do those officials mean by ‘radicalism’?” Mr Ahmad said.
A Public Servant at the Home Ministry, who asked not to be named, said the decree had the potential to be used as a Government tool to repress Public Servants.
“It regulates many subjects whose meanings and limits are not well-defined,” the officer said.
However, Anggit Suko Pamungkas, a Public Service trainee at the National Civil Service Agency, welcomed the decree, saying it supported “the function of Civil Servants as the glue and unifier of the nation”.
He said he had been very cautious in using social media since he joined the Public Service, but “not all Civil Servants understand this”.
A Government website launched for the public to report Public Servants who allegedly violated the new rules had logged 77 reports in the two weeks since its launch.
Spokesperson for the Communications and Information Ministry, Ferdinandus Setu said 11 reports were being followed up with the remainder dismissed for not providing sufficient evidence of violations.
Jakarta, 28 November 2019
