Constitutional law expert Bivitri Susanti also noted that many crucial articles in the RKUHP “reproduce the spirit of Dutch colonialism.” In her presentation, Bivitri admitted that she did not see the urgency of the RKUHP. Furthermore, she said, the contents are not new as they follow the old paradigm.
As an example, she pointed to of a number of articles on ‘colonialism’, such as insulting the government (Article 240), insulting the authority and state institutions (Articles 353 and 354), as well as holding demonstrations without permission (Article 273).
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“The article to protect the dignity of the president was first made because we as natives are considered uncivilized and needed to be disciplined because we like to insult the queen. So that’s the old paradigm, but it’s been reproduced; we’re no longer [in a situation where] natives versus colonizers,” said Bivitri. (rr)