According to Reuters in a report published on Jan. 29, the Indonesian parliament is considering amendments to the national criminal code that would make all consensual sex outside of marriage illegal.

A parliamentary committee has been set up to propose amendments to the Dutch colonial-era criminal code. The committee has been consulting with the public, including legal experts, religious scholars and civil rights groups.

An early draft of the law includes measures to criminalise extra-marital sex, same-sex relations and even co-habitation, all of which are currently unregulated in Indonesia.

Conservative new laws

However, observers are concerned that this new amendment is aimed specifically at homosexual couples, as a law banning adultery already exists in Indonesia. Andreas Harsono of the Human Rights Watch said:

"The draft law will create new discriminatory offences that do not exist in the current criminal code. It will slow down Indonesia’s efforts to develop their economy, society, knowledge, education etc....if law enforcement agencies are busy policing morality."

He added that the proposal resembled the sharia law that was enforced in the deeply conservative region of Aceh.

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Election next year

Perhaps with an eye on the upcoming Presidential and legislative elections in 2019, most politicians are reported to be favour of the move, which is in line with the wishes of the largely conservative voters.

One such group is the Family Love Alliance, a conservative Indonesian group formed to lobby for their preferred legislation in Parliament. Said one of their members, Euis Sunarti:

"The truth is the majority of religions in Indonesia hold the same values, so...(the revisions) are representative of the majority and of all cultures in Indonesia."

Top image by Oscar Siagian via Getty Images.