Indonesia's President Jokowi defends new jobs law, says protests fuelled by disinformation
10 October, 2020
Indonesia's President Joko Widodo defended his flagship job creation law on Friday (Oct 9) after violent protests erupted earlier this week opposing the legislation.
The country, Jokowi said, needed the sweeping "omnibus" law to supply employment because of its young population and the ones who were unemployed as a result of economic crisis as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On the protests, he said: "I saw demonstrations against the job creation law which were basically motivated by disinformation."
He urged critics to challenge regulations at the Constitutional Court if indeed they disagreed with its content.
Critics say the "omnibus" law undermines labour rights and weakens environmental protections. Labour unions, students and academics have criticised the Bill for a perceived insufficient consultation and expedited passage.
Previously Friday, Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan had said he'd inform the president of protesters' demands for the polarising law to be repealed, as a growing number of regional leaders oppose the brand new legislation.
At least four other governors have told protesters they might write to the president requesting regulations to be cancelled, according to their statements and local media reports.
Nearly 13,000 police officers were deployed on Thursday to block usage of government buildings in central Jakarta, but they failed to stop protesters from making their way to the heart of the administrative centre.
Tear gas was fired near to the presidential palace in Jakarta on Thursday afternoon, with clashes erupting at around 2pm.
Some protesters burned tyres, vandalised bus stops and dismantled partitions of a construction site while some were seen smashing bricks and concretes into smaller pieces to be hurled at the authorities.
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