Indonesia president urges delay in law banning sex outside marriage

JAKARTA: Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Friday (Sep 20) called for a delay in passing a new law that would outlaw gay and pre-marital sex after the controversial plan sparked a public outcry.

The proposed criminal code overhaul should get a closer look given the backlash, Widodo said, as he asked that parliament scrap a planned vote on the revisions before its session ends next week.

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The mooted changes could affect millions in the world's biggest Muslim majority country, including gay and heterosexual couples who might face jail for having sex outside wedlock, or having an affair.

READ: Couples flogged for public affection in Indonesia's Aceh

On Friday, the Australian embassy in Jakarta issued a fresh travel advisory for Indonesia, warning that the legislation could put unmarried foreign tourists in the crosshairs.

"After hearing from various groups with objections to aspects of the law, I've decided that some of it needs further deliberation," the recently re-elected Widodo said in a televised press briefing.

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"The justice minister has been told to convey my views to parliament and that ratification of the criminal code should be postponed and not passed" in the current session, he added.

Updating Indonesia's criminal code – which stretches back to the Dutch colonial era – has been debated for decades and appeared set to pass in 2018 before it fizzled.

A renewed push this year, backed by conservative Islamic groups, was met with a tidal wave of criticism from rights groups and ordinary citizens furious over what many saw as a draconian law that invaded the bedrooms of a nation with some 260 million people – the fourth most populous on Earth.

An online petition calling for the bill to be scrapped garnered half a million signatures while hundreds of thousands took to social media to vent their frustration.

"It's crazy if this bill is passed, crazy! What is this country turning into?" movie director Joko Anwar tweeted to his 1.7 million followers.

The sweeping proposals call f