Press Release
The Bill of Social Organization, The Gate to Revive Repressive Regime of New Era

House of Representative is currently discussing the Bill of Social Organization. The bill is assumed important to manage society. But in the reality, it has the spirit of controlling and repression by reviving the sole basis (Article 2), restricting social organization from political activity (Article 7) and strict controls from government (Article 58, 61 and 62). It was like what the first president, Suharto did in New Era. Instead of giving ample opportunity for social organizations to participate in empowering people, the bill has the potency to gag critical stances of people against the government by any reasons. Remembering the decree of People's Consultative Assembly No. XVIII/1998 cancelled the decree of People's Consultative Assembly No. II/1978 where the sole basis was inside is a setback. The bill can give rise to people subjected to trauma of authoritarianism conducted by New Era regime.

Also, the bill looks discriminatory because there is different role between ordinary social organization and wing organization of political party (the bill Article 4). It seems that political parties want to promote themselves. All social organizations must be subject to the bill except the wing organizations of political party.

Regarding this, Hizb ut Tahrir / Indonesia and the prominents of Islamic organizations declare:

1.    Reject the Bill of Social Organization because it is a gateway for reviving repression of New Era Regime. This bill also has the potency to gag critical stances of people against the government for any reason.

2.    Actually what we need now is remanaging our frame of thinking correctly, how to educate people and bring this country onto the right direction and recognize ‘who and what' become serious threats to this country and how to face it. Based on existing facts, the serious threats to the country are secularism, capitalism, and modern imperialism that have dominated all aspects of life especially in political and economic fields in this country. These threats deface people and causing them to move in the wrong direction. Thus, the strong energy of this country should be used to reverse this country from misguidance of false ideology to the right direction, not to cause repression towards Ummah activities in particular.

3.    Call for the Ummah to work seriously for the establishment of Khilafah "Caliphate". Because only in Khilafah "Caliphate" Rahmatan lil ‘alamin that Allah (swt) promises will be realized and this country will move in the right direction where people can hold roles through various activities and organizations for the sake of people increasing and gaining honorable positions. Inshaallah. Hasbunallah wa ni'mal wakiil, ni'mal mawla wa ni'man nashiir.

Muhammad Ismail Yusanto
The Spokesperson of Hizb ut Tahrir in Indonesia