Indonesia: President Jokowi puts off signing anti criticism bill

• Indonesian president Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has put off signing a new bill which could see officials crack down on people who criticise the government, which is considered by many in Indonesia as corrupt.
• The bill would see legal action be able to be taken against people or organisations that criticise the government.
• Jokowi confirmed that he would not sign it yet, but did not say if he wouldn’t sign it at all on twitter, saying “The draft is on my desk but I have not signed it. I understand the public’s concern about this issue. We all want the quality of our democracy to improve, not deteriorate.”
• Rights groups and activists have warned that this agreement would severely damage freedom of speech in Indonesia, and give the government, whom many people in Indonesia consider to be one of the most corrupt institutions in the country, more power. However, legislators claim that this will simply give them more protection against “false allegations” of things such as corruption.

External Link : http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/indonesian-president-puts-off-signing-law-protecting-parliament?login=true