Politics of Omnibus Law

The discourse on the omnibus law, which originally aimed only at improving the investment climate and employment, has now expanded into the political field.

KOMPAS/ALIF ICHWAN

House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker Puan Maharani (center) shakes hand with Finance Minister Sri Mulyani (left), witnessed by DPR Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad (right), after holding a consultation meeting at the Special Committee B, Senayan Legislative Complex, Jakarta, Monday (16/12/2019).

The Home Ministry introduced the omnibus law to simplify the political system. Bahtiar, the acting director general of politics and general government, announced the plan as cited in Kompas on 2 Jan. 2020. Bahtiar said that the government and the House of Representatives would simplify the political and governmental system by combining a number of laws in the omnibus law. In addition to state budget savings, the omnibus law would ensure that the best leaders would emerge under a measurable electoral process.

The omnibus law is more widely known in the common law systems of the United States and Australia, while Indonesia has a civil law system. The idea for the omnibus law was introduced by President Joko Widodo, who had previously introduced the concept of the Nawacita (nine-point) program, at the 2019 General Session of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR). Since then, the discourse over the omnibus law has become a new political magnet, similar to the “mental revolution” rhetoric.