Indonesia’s Omnibus Law: hardline cleric enters fray as protests continue
- Nationwide demonstrations against the new jobs law have raised concerns about coronavirus infections, with 145 of those arrested testing positive
- Exiled cleric Habib Rizieq Shihab called for President Joko Widodo to be toppled, but security sources fear ‘unknown elements’ infiltrating the protests
The controversial legislation, containing reforms in an “Omnibus” bill that amends more than 70 existing laws, is aimed at cutting red tape and boosting investment to create jobs. But protesting workers say it undermines existing labour laws, reduces their income and weakens environmental protections.
On Tuesday, the normally clogged streets of Jakarta were nearly empty of cars, embassies were closed and many businesses were shut as several Muslim groups announced they would stage protests. Waving black flags bearing the Islamic declaration of faith, several thousand demonstrators, many wearing white Islamic robes, filled a major thoroughfare.
Protesters chanted “God is Great” and “We stand with workers” near the blocked roads.
A senior security source told This Week In Asia that the call by the firebrand cleric Habib Rizieq Shihab, who has lived in exile in Saudi Arabia for several years, was not as big a concern as anonymous “trained elements” infiltrating the protests.