ALSA MAGAZINE 3RD EDITION 2021: Human Rights Under Siege in Asia

A-MAG ALSA MAGAZINE | ISSUE 03 | AUGUST 2021

Human Human Rights Rights Under Under Siege Siege in in Asia Asia

Issue 03

To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity Nelson Mandela

A-M

ALSA MAGAZINE | ISS

A-MAG EDITORIAL BOARD 20/21

Nur Khairunnisa Binti Muzamir Shah

Editor-In-Chief

Ameerah Salie

Editor

Devinka Myrella Lukito

Namthip Chitmany

Layout Artist

ALSA MAGAZINE 4

Editor

Jeypraba Veerapan

Editor

Salman Imam Karim

Layout Artist

MAG

SUE 03 | August 2021

CONTRIBUTORS Aulia Shifa Hamida | Devinka Lukito | Edelweis Bintang Revinda | Engr. Russel Renz R. Garcia | Jeypraba Veerapan | Julia Thomas | Puteri Fathonah | Ray Surjadinata | Tengku Adika Suryatama | Vilaysone Vannasi | Villia Evani Silalahi Contributors for the "Global Affairs" Section Aisha Mahira Hakim Pambudi | Aisyah Salsabilla | Alifia Aisya Hikma | | Amira Nadine Widhi | Aulia Shifa Hamida | Dianne Pogosa | Fakhira Dyna | Febrianita Dinar Pramesti | Gabby Agnesya | Icha Faizatur | Muhd Nasmi bin Abdullah Nasar | Nurul Habaib Al Mukarramah | Phoo Ngone Kyaw (Aster) | Winda Claudia | Youn Juhae Contributors for the "Legal Affairs" Section Adila Sabrina Said | Dindi Kurnia Marahani | Melfin Anggun Fazirah | Nabilah Putri Aulia Rahman Contributors for the "Cultural Review" Section

ASIAN LAW STUDENTS' ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL BOARD 20/21

ALSA MAGAZINE 5

CONTENTS

Contributors, 5 Letter from the Editor, 8

Global Affairs

14

Freedom of Speech and Expression in Malaysia: Under Siege?

Jeypraba Veerapan

Legal Affairs

48

Body-worn Cameras: A Tool Towards Police Accountability in the Philippines Dianne Pogosa

23

Social Media Censorship: A Clear and Present Danger to Freedom of Expression in Asia Tengku Adika Suryatama

49

Police Brutality: "Police Everywhere, Injustice Everywhere."

Muhd Nasmi bin Abdullah Nasar

26

Afghanistan, Peace, and the Political Arena Aulia Shifa Hamida

50

Police Brutality in Indonesia: How to Stop it?

Alifia Aisya Hikma

52

Military Brutality in Myanmar Phoo Ngone Kyaw ( Aster)

54

Remain Silent: How Racism Become a NeverEnding Saga Winda Claudia

55

The Reality of Discrimination Against Papuans in Indonesia Fakhira Dyna

56

“We are not Monkey Race, We are Human Race” Edelweis Bintang Revinda

58

A Human Rights Issue Arising from the Selfdetermination Debate Aisyah Salsabilla

18

Restrictions on the Freedom of Expression in the Digital Era Puteri Fathonah

32

Human Rights and Indonesia's State Obligation in Response to COVID-19 Devinka Lukito, Ray Surjadinata, Vilia Evani Silalahi

36

Why the Indonesian Police are Losing the Public's Trust Edelweis Bintang Revinda

38

Environmental Concerns during the COVID-19 Pandemic Julia Thomas

42

The Philippines' Environment amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic Engr. Russel Renz R. Garcia

44

Respect others = Respect yourself Villaysone Vannasi

59

Indonesia’s ‘Quiet Diplomacy’ Over R2P: Misinterpreted or Lack of Commitment?

Aisha Mahira Hakim Pambudi

60

Legalization of Tattoo in Korea and Selfdetermination in the Body Youn Juhae

62

A Discovery of Exploitation: Do Mining Activities Bring More Harm Than Good For Human Lives?

Febrianita Dinar Pramesti

64

ITE LAW: Where the Legality of the Law and Human RIghts are put in Question Icha Faizatur

68

Balancing Between Human Rights and Ecological Rights: Why is it Important?

Nurul Habaib Al Mukarramah

70

Environmental Fallacy of Indonesia's Omnibus Law on Job Creation Aulia Shifa Hamida

72

A Land Fire Crimes Joint Decree: Brace for Human Rights?

Gabby Agnesya

74

Semarang Satpol PP Dousing People’s Shops with a Fire Truck: An Excessive Act or A Necessity?

Amira Nadine Widhi

7 ALSA MAGAZINE

Literature Review

78

Discrimination towards Black and Brown Community portrayed through Blue Lights

by Jorja Smith Adila Sabrina Said

81

NCT:"Save Your World" Melfin Anggun Fazirah

82

Music Review: 'Suara' by GAC Dindi Kurnia Maharani

84

Movie Review First They Killed My Father: A Horrific Lesson Nabilah Putri Aulia Rahman

I also would like to thank the contributors for your outstanding works and for whom have not contributed yet, I am looking forward to see your active contribution.

Strong Inside and Leading Outside ALSA, Always Be One!

Sincerely yours,

Griselda Audrey Chandra

PRESIDENT OF ALSA INTERNATIONAL BOARD OF 2020/2021

8 ALSA MAGAZINE

P R E S I D E N T

Human rights are basic rights that belong to all of us simply because we are human. They embody key values in our society such as fairness, dignity, equality and respect. They are an important means of protection for us all, especially those who may face abuse, neglect and isolation.

T H E

I am Audrey, the President of ALSA 2020/2021 and I humbly present the 3rd Edition of AMAG 2021.

F R O M

Hello everyone, Audrey here!

L E T T E R

GREETINGS from THE PRESIDENT

T H E E D I T O R - I N - C H I E F

The impact of COVID-19 has left people feeling hopeless and despair in its wake up even to this day. However, in some well-developed countries, the economy are starting to recover whereas other developing countries especially in Asia, are on the verge of reaching its capacity in dealing with the pandemic due to the overwhelming cases, insufficient vaccines, and insufficient healthcare facilities to accommodate the patients. There are stakeholders in this pandemic that have acted irresponsibly by impeding the people’s basic human rights in coping with the pandemic. There are also incompetent governments that have contributed in the deterioration of these human rights by prioritising their political needs which led to people’s livelihood being threatened on a daily basis. The worrying human rights issues that have been on the rise can be seen in the rising cases of police brutality, oppression of minority rights, restriction on freedom of expression, intimidation of journalists, mass killings and many more.

F R O M

On behalf of the International Board of 20/21, we wish a Happy Islamic New Year to all Muslims. May this new year brings a lot of peace, prosperity & happiness to the Muslim world! Following our previous publication, we have decided to continue with the theme of "Human Rights Under Siege in Asia" for our July-August Issue.

L E T T E R

Human Rights Under Siege in Asia

With the help of our A-MAG Editorial Board 20/21, we hope the contribution submitted by our dedicated A-MAG contributors will bring awareness and shed more light to the injustices that are happening around us and in our neighbouring countries.

Sincerely yours,

Nur Khairunnisa Muzamir Shah

VICE PRESIDENT OF PUBLIC RELATIONS, AND MARKETING OF ALSA INTERNATIONAL BOARD OF 2020/2021

ALSA MAGAZINE 9

ALSA is an international consortium of over 14,000 law students and alumni located in 17 jurisdictions all over Asia. Formally established in 2002, the Association is a merger between the previous ASEAN law students association, as well as the East Asian law students association, which were two student bodies that had similar goals of fostering stronger ties and greater understanding of the different legal systems among its member Asian countries.

Recognizing their common goals, as well as the increasing onset of globalization in the region, these two associations signed an agreement in 2002, thus forming ALSA into the organization that is known to be today.

OurPARTNERS 01 Asian Medical Students' Association

04 Australian Law Students' Association

02 European Law Students' Association

05 OTP Law Corporation

03 International Bar Association

06 Dominican Law Students' Association

07 ZICO Law

08 Thomas Philip Advocates & Solicitors

09 Thanlwin Legal

10 Satayapon & Partners

11 International Dispute Resolution & Risk Management Institute

12 Tilleke & Gibbins

OurPARTNERS 13 Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC)

14 Siam Cement Group

15 Prosple

16 Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia

17 Cross Moot Examination

18 Tech Law Fest

19 Asia Bar Review

20 Asia-Pacific Legal Innovation and Technology Association

21 Global Cultural Adventures

22 Global Millennial Model United Nations

23 Jakarta Model United Nations

Global Affairs

Photo by Aarón Blanco Tejedor on Unsplash

FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND EXPRESSION IN MALAYSIA: UNDER SIEGE? WRITTEN BY: JEYPRABA VEERAPAN, MALAYSIA A-MAG EDITORIAL BOARD 20/21

WHAT IS FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND EXPRESSION? F r e e d om o f s p e e ch a nd e x p r e s si o n i s e s s e nt ia l l y t he f r e e d om to h ol d o pi ni o ns wi th o ut i nt e rf e r e n ce a nd t o s e e k, r e c ei v e a nd i m pa rt i nf o r m at io n a nd i d e as t h r o u gh a ny m e di a a nd r e g a r dl e s s o f f r o nt ie r s . T h e r i g ht t o f r e e d om o f s p e e ch a nd e x p r e s si o n i s e n s h ri n ed i n A r t ic l e 1 9 o f t he U ni v e r s al D e cl a r at io n o f H u m an R i g ht s a d o pt e d b y t he G e n e r al A s s e m b l y o f t he U ni te d N at io ns w hi c h o ut l in es t he f u n d a m e nt a l h u m an r i g ht s t h at n e ed t o b e u ni v e r s al l y p r ot e ct e d.

I n M al a y s i a , f r e e d om o f s p e e ch i s o ne o f t he f u n d a m e nt a l l i b e rt ie s e n s h ri n ed i n t he M al a y s i a n C o n st i tut io n. A r t ic l e 1 0 ( 1 ) (a)o f t he M al a y s i a n C o n st i tut io n p r o vi d es t h at e v e ry c i t iz en h as t he r i g ht t o f r e e d om o f s p e e ch a nd e x p r e s si o n, b ut i t i s i m p o rt a nt t o n ot e t h at t hi s i s n ot a n a b s ol ut e r i g ht b e c a u se A r t ic l e s 1 0 ( 2 ) , 1 0 ( 3 ) a nd 10(4)o f t he C o n st i tut io n a l l o ws r e s t r i c t io ns t o t hi s r i g ht .

14 ALSA MAGAZINE

O nl y t he P a r l i a m e nt m a y i m p o s e r e s t r i c t i o ns o n t he l i b e r t i e s i n A r t i c l e 10( 1) a nd M a l a y s i a n l a ws whi c h r e s t r i c t t he l i b e r t i e s i n A r t i c l e 1 0 ( 1 ) i nc l ud e t he S e d i t i o n A c t 1 9 4 8 , O f f i c i a l S e c r e t s A c t 1 9 7 2 , C o m m uni c a t i o ns a nd M ul t i m e d i a A c t 1 9 9 8 a nd P r i nt i ng P r e s s e s a nd P ub l i c a t i o ns A c t 1 9 8 4 . A s a n e x a m p l e , t he S e d i t i o n A c t 1 9 4 8 c r i m i na l i s e s a ny c o nd uc t wi t h a ' s e d i t i o us t e nd e nc y ' , t he ut t e r a nc e o f ' s e d i t i o us wo r d s ' a nd import or d i s t r i b ut i o n of ' s e d i t i o us p ub l i c a t i o ns ' .

Fi r s t t i m e o f f e ns e s a r e p uni s ha b l e b y up t o t hr e e y e a r s ’ i m p r i s o nm e nt , a nd s ub s e q ue nt o f f e ns e s b y up t o f i v e y e a r s ’ i m p r i s o nm e nt . T hi s l a w i s c o nd e m ne d b y v a r i o us hum a n r i g ht s o r g a ni s a t i o ns both local a nd i nt e r na t i o na l s uc h as SUA RA M, A m ne s t y I nt e r na t i o na l , a nd A R T I C L E 1 9 f o r i t s us a g e t o r e g ul a r l y s up p r e s s d i s s e nt a nd s i l e nc e o p p o ne nt s o f t he g o v e r nm e nt .

WHY IS FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND EXPRESSION IMPORTANT? Fr e e d o m o f s p e e c h a nd e x p r e s s i o n i s a f und a m e nt a l hum a n r i g ht whi c h f o r m s t he f o und a t i o n f o r o t he r r i g ht s . Fo r example, freedom of speech a nd e x p r e s s i o n he l p s r a i s e a wa r e ne s s a nd b r i ng t o l i g ht i s s ue s l i k e p o l i c e b r ut a l i t y a nd i nt e r f e r e nc e wi t h i nd i g e no us peoples’ l a nd r i g ht s .

W i t ho ut t he f r e e d o m t o r e p o r t o n hum a n r i g ht s a b us e s , t he s e a t r o c i t i e s wi l l c o nt i nue wi t h i m p uni t y . Fr e e d o m o f s p e e c h a nd e x p r e s s i o n a l s o a l l o ws t he p ub l i c t o t a k e p a r t i n p e t i t i o ns , b o y c o t t s , p r o t e s t s , a nd m a ny m o r e whi c h wo ul d b r i ng i m p o r t a nt i s s ue s t o l i g ht a nd p r e s s ur e t he a ut ho r i t i e s to take a c t i o n.

A d d i t i o na l l y , f r e e d o m o f s p e e c h a nd e x p r e s s i o n a l l o ws t he p r e s s t o k e e p p e o p l e i nf o r m e d a b o ut e v e r y t hi ng t ha t i s ha p p e ni ng a r o und t he m . T hi s wo ul d i n t ur n r e s ul t i n a s t r o ng e r d e m o c r a c y , a s i nf o r m e d v o t e r s wo ul d m a k e i nf o r m e d d e c i s i o ns d ur i ng e l e c t i o ns .

Most i m p o r t a nt l y , f r e e d o m o f s p e e c h a nd e x p r e s s i o n he l p s t he m a r g i na l i s e d a nd t he m i no r i t y t o ha v e t he i r v o i c e s he a r d .

M a r g i na l i s e d a nd m i no r i t y v o i c e s a r e m o r e l i k e l y t o b e l e f t o ut o f m a i ns t r e a m d i s c us s i o ns a nd f r e e d o m o f e x p r e s s i o n g ua r a nt e e s p e o p l e t he r i g ht t o t e l l t he i r s t o r i e s t o t he wo r l d wi t ho ut c e ns o r s hi p o r f e a r . Fr e e d o m o f e x p r e s s i o n he l p s a wi d e v a r i e t y o f m a r g i na l i s e d c a us e s a nd v o i c e s t o b e he a r d i nc l ud i ng wo m e n’s r i g ht s , L G B T Q c o m m uni t i e s a nd e t hni c a nd r e l i g i o us m i no r i t i e s . Fr e e d o m o f e x p r e s s i o n a l s o g ua r a nt e e s p e o p l e t he r i g ht t o v o i c e t he i r o p i ni o ns e v e n whe n t he y a r e unp o p ul a r o r g o a g a i ns t t he s t a t us q uo .

Fr e e d o m o f e x p r e s s i o n e ns ur e s people can advocate for t he m s e l v e s a nd o t he r s .

ALSA MAGAZINE 15

HOW DOES MALAYSIA FARE IN TERMS OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND EXPRESSION?

IS FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND EXPRESSION IN MALAYSIA UNDER SIEGE?

I n t e r m s o f f r e e d o m o f e x p r e s s i o n, M a l a y s i a i s r a nk e d 9 9 o ut o f 1 6 1 c o unt r i e s in t he Global Expression R e p o r t 2 0 1 9 / 2 0 2 0 . T he r e p o r t p l a c e s M a l a y s i a und e r t he ‘R e s t r i c t e d ’ c a t e g o r y i n t e r m s o f f r e e d o m o f e x p r e s s i o n o ut o f a t o t a l o f f i v e c a t e g o r i e s whi c h c o ns i s t of ‘I n C r i s i s ’, ‘H i g hl y R e s t r i c t e d ’, ‘R e s t r i c t e d ’, ‘L e s s R e s t r i c t e d ’ a nd ‘O p e n’.

A c c o r d i ng t o t he r e p o r t , 2 0 1 9 wa s s t a i ne d b y b r o k e n p r o m i s e s a nd o l d t a c t i c s b y t he M a l a y s i a n g o v e r nm e nt , i nc l ud i ng t he us e o f t he S e d i t i o n A c t 1 9 4 8 t o s up p r e s s d i s s e nt . A R T I C L E 1 9 a d d e d t ha t t he g o v e r nm e nt a l s o we nt b a c k o n t he i r p r o m i s e s t o r a t i f y hum a n r i g ht s treaties after p r e s s ur e f r o m c o ns e r v a t i v e g r o up s .

O f i m p o r t a nc e i s t ha t a s t a t e o f e m e r g e nc y wa s d e c l a r e d i n M a l a y s i a o n J a nua r y 1 2 t hi s y e a r a s a p r o a c t i v e m o v e t o c o nt r o l a nd f l a t t e n C O V I D- 1 9 p o s i t i v e c a s e s f ur t he r c r i p p l i ng t he a l r e a d y l i m i t e d f r e e d o m o f s p e e c h a nd e x p r e s s i o n i n M a l a y s i a . T hi s i s b e c a us e , und e r a s t a t e o f e m e r g e nc y , f und a m e nt a l r i g ht s c a n b e s us p e nd e d , a nd t hi s i s e x a c t l y wha t ha p p e ne d i n M a l a y s i a . I n M a r c h 2 0 2 1 , t he M a l a y s i a n E m e r g e nc y E s s e nt i a l P o we r s N o . 2 O r d i na nc e , 2 0 2 1 ( t he ‘Fa k e N e ws O r d i na nc e ’) wa s adopted.

A d d i t i o na l l y , i n t he 2 0 2 1 W o r l d P r e s s Fr e e d o m I nd e x c o m p i l e d b y R e p o r t e r s W i t ho ut B o r d e r s ( R S F) , M a l a y s i a f e l l t o t he 1 1 9 t h s p o t f r o m t he 1 0 1 s t i n 2 0 2 0 . R S F c o m m e nt e d t ha t M a l a y s i a ’s s ho c k i ng 1 8 - p l a c e f a l l , t he b i g g e s t o f a ny c o unt r y i n t he i nd e x , wa s d i r e c t l y l i nk e d t o t he formation of a ne w coalition g o v e r nm e nt i n M a r c h 2 0 2 0 . “I t l e d t o t he a d o p t i o n o f a s o - c a l l e d ' a nt i - f a k e ne ws ' d e c r e e e na b l i ng t he a ut ho r i t i e s to i m p o s e t he i r o wn v e r s i o n o f t he t r ut h, ” R S F s a i d . R S F a d d e d t ha t und e r l a ws l i k e t he Sedition A ct 1948 a nd t he C o m m uni c a t i o ns a nd M ul t i m e d i a A c t 1 9 9 8 , a ut ho r i t i e s ha v e a s t r i c t c o nt r o l o v e r p ub l i c a t i o n l i c e nc e s a nd j o ur na l i s t s c a n b e s e nt e nc e d t o p r i s o n o n s e d i t i o n c ha r g e s .

T he r e a r e m a ny c a s e s o f p r o s e c ut i o ns , p o l i c e s e a r c he s , e x p ul s i o ns , a nd b l a t a nt v i o l a t i o ns of t he c o nf i d e nt i a l i t y of j o ur na l i s t s ’ s o ur c e s i n M a l a y s i a . T o p r o t e c t t he m s e l v e s a g a i ns t t he g o v e r nm e nt ’s o f f e ns i v e , m a ny j o ur na l i s t s ha v e ha d t o c e ns o r t he i r p ub l i c a t i o ns .

16 ALSA MAGAZINE

T he ne w o r d i na nc e m a k e s i t a c r i m i na l o f f e ns e to create, p ub l i s h, or d i s s e m i na t e ‘f a k e ne ws ’ r e l a t i ng t o C O V I D- 1 9 or t he proclamation of e m e r g e nc y i n t he c o unt r y , o r t o f a i l t o t a k e d o wn s uc h m a t e r i a l up o n t he g o v e r nm e nt ’s r e q ue s t . I t a l s o r e q ui r e s i nd i v i d ua l s , c o r p o r a t i o ns , a nd s o c i a l m e d i a p l a t f o r m s t o g i v e t he p o l i c e access to traffic data a nd ‘c o m p ut e r i z e d data’ up o n r e q ue s t , p e r m i t s c o r p o r a t e d i r e c t o r s a nd o t he r e x e c ut i v e s t o b e he l d c r i m i na l l y l i a b l e f o r c o m p a ny a c t i o ns , a nd o v e r r i d e s r ul e s o f e v i d e nc e i nt e nd e d t o e ns ur e a fair trial.

A s o f J une 3 r d , t he r e ha v e b e e n 1 8 i nv e s t i g a t i o ns und e r t hi s O r d i na nc e ; t wo c a s e s ha v e b e e n p r e s e nt e d i n c o ur t a nd t wo c a s e s we r e c l a s s i f i e d a s no f ur t he r a c t i o n.

14 cases are still und e r i nv e s t i g a t i o n. T he Fa k e N e ws O r d i na nc e i s wi d e l y c o nd e m ne d f o r f a l l i ng s ho r t o f i nt e r na t i o na l hum a n r i g ht s s t a nd a r d s a nd b e i ng overly broad wi t h its d e f i ni t i o n o f ‘f a k e ne ws ’.

D u ri ng t he p a n d e mi c , t he M al a y s i a n g o v e r n m e nt h as b e en c o n d e m n ed f o r h a vi ng u s ed t he F a ke N e ws O r di n an ce i n a d di t io n t o e x i s t ing l a ws s u ch a s t he S e di t io n A c t 1 9 4 8 , O f f i c i a l S e cr e t s A c t 1 9 7 2 , C o m m u ni c at io ns a nd M ul ti m e di a A c t 1 9 9 8 a nd P r i nt ing P r e s s es a nd P u bl i c at io ns A c t 1 9 8 4 t o s u p pr e s s t he v oi c es o f d i s s e nt . O n 5 J u n e, t he P e t a l i ng J a y a S e s s i o ns C o u rt c h ar g ed t he M al a y s i a n C r i m e W a t c h T a s k F o r ce ( M y W a t c h) c h ai r p e r s on S r i S a nj e e v an u n d er S e ct io n 233 of t he C o m m u ni c at io ns a nd M ul t im e di a A c t 1 9 9 8 f o r t w e et s d e e m ed t o b e c ri t ic al o f t he R o y al M al a y s i a P o l i c e.

O n 9 J u n e, t he K u al a L u m p ur S e s s i o ns C o u rt c h a r g ed Di a n A b d u l l a h, a b l o gg er , u n d er S e ct io n 2 3 3 o f t he C M A a nd S e ct io n 5 0 5 ( b ) o f t he P e n al C o de i n r el a t io n t o t wo b l o g p o st s c o n c e r ni ng P r i m e M i ni s t e r M u h yi d di n Y a s si n a nd Y a ng d i - P e r t u an A g o ng S ul ta n A b d u l l a h S ul ta n A h m ad S h ah ( t he King) .

R e g a r di ng t hi s c a s e, t he e x e c ut iv e d i r e ct o r o f t he C e nt r e f o r I n d e p e n d e nt J o u r n al i s m (C IJ ) W a t h s hl a h N ai d u c o m m e nt e d t h at , " T h e g o v e r n m e nt m u st stop c h ar gi ng a nd i n v e st ig at ing i n di v i d u al s u n d er r e g r e s si v e l a ws s u ch a s S e ct io n 2 3 3 o f t he C o m m u ni c at io ns a nd M ul t im e di a A c t f o r v oi c i ng d i s s e nt a g ai n s t t he state a nd p u bl i c a ut h o ri t ie s . " M o re r e c e nt ly , o n 2 7 t h J u l y t hi s y e a r, a n N G O f o u n d er w as c h ar g ed i n c o u rt u n d er S e ct io n 233 of t he C o m m u ni c at io ns a nd M ul t im e di a A c t o v er a J u n e 2 0 2 0 F a c e b o ok p o st a b o ut a l l e g ed m i s t r e at m e nt o f r ef u g e es a t i m mi g r at io n d et e nt io n c e nt r e s . T h e re h a ve b e en c o u nt le s s o t h er r e c e nt c a s es o f f r e e d om o f s p e e ch a nd e x p r e s si o n i n M al a y s i a b ei ng s e v e r el y c ri p pl e d b y t he a ut h o ri t ie s a nd if t hi s c o nt in u e s, M al a y s i a wi l l s l i d e i nt o a s l i p p e ry s l o pe o f o p p r e s si o n a nd t y r a n n y.

IS THERE HOPE FOR MALAYSIA? Fo r t he r e t o b e a ny ho p e a t a l l f o r M a l a y s i a ’s freedom of speech a nd e x p r e s s i o n t o f l o ur i s h, i m m e d i a t e r e f o r m s m us t b e i m p l e m e nt e d . T he s e r e f o r m s i nc l ud e r e p e a l i ng t he 1 9 4 8 S e d i t i o n A c t a nd r e p e a l i ng o r a m e nd i ng o t he r l a ws whi c h a r b i t r a r i l y r e s t r i c t t he r i g ht t o f r e e d o m o f e x p r e s s i o n, i nc l ud i ng t he C o m m uni c a t i o n a nd M ul t i m e d i a A c t a nd t he P r i nt i ng P r e s s a nd P ub l i c a t i o ns A c t , t o e ns ur e t ha t t he y a r e c o m p a t i b l e wi t h i nt e r na t i o na l hum a n r i g ht s law a nd s t a nd a r d s . T he P e a c e f ul A s s e m b l y A c t , P e na l Code, a nd o t he r excessively r e s t r i c t i v e l a ws m us t a l s o b e r e v i e we d o r a m e nd e d t o a l l o w f o r p e a c e f ul p r o t e s t s wi t ho ut a r b i t r a r y r e s t r i c t i o ns .

M o r e o v e r , t he M a l a y s i a n g o v e r nm e nt m us t r a t i f y a nd i m p l e m e nt i n l a w, p o l i c y a nd p r a c t i c e t he I nt e r na t i o na l C o v e na nt o n C i v i l a nd P o l i t i c a l R i g ht s a nd o t he r hum a n r i g ht s t r e a t i e s a s s o o n a s p o s s i b l e . T he M a l a y s i a n g o v e r nm e nt m us t wo r k ha nd i n ha nd wi t h hum a n r i g ht s o r g a ni s a t i o ns t o i d e nt i f y e x i s t i ng f l a ws a nd r e c t i f y t he m i m m e d i a t e l y . Fr e e d o m o f s p e e c h a nd e x p r e s s i o n i s a f und a m e nt a l hum a n r i g ht whi c h f o r m s t he f o und a t i o n f o r m a ny o t he r hum a n r i g ht s , a l l o wi ng s o c i e t y t o d e v e l o p a nd p r o g r e s s .

If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter. ― George Washington ALSA MAGAZINE 17

RESTRICTIONS ON THE FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IN THE DIGITAL ERA WRITTEN BY: PUTERI FATHONAH ALSA INDONESIA T he i nf o r m a t i o n t e c hno l o g y r e v o l ut i o n m a r k e d b y t he p r e s e nc e o f t he I nt e r ne t ha s c ha ng e d t he p a t t e r n a nd l i f e s t y l e o f hum a ns l i v i ng i n t he m o d e r n a g e , i nc l us i v e o f d r a s t i c c ha ng e i n c o nd uc t i ng s o c i a l a nd e c o no m i c t r a ns a c t i o ns .

O ne p a t t e r n t ha t ha s f und a m e nt a l l y c ha ng e d i s t he wa y p e o p l e e x e r c i s e t he i r r i g ht s t o t he f r e e d o m o f o p i ni o n a nd e x p r e s s i o n, i nc l ud i ng t he r i g ht t o s e e k , r e c e i v e , a nd i m p a r t i nf o r m a t i o n o r i d e a s . T he r i g ht t o t he f r e e d o m o f e x p r e s s i o n c a n ha v e v a r i o us p ur p o s e s . I n t hi s p a p e r t he a ut ho r wi l l f o c us o n t he r i g ht t o t he f r e e d o m o f expression a nd its role in p r e s e r v i ng t he i nt e l l e c t ua l l i f e o f t he na t i o n.

T he freedom of expression i nd i c a t e s t ha t o p i ni o ns c a n b e e x p r e s s e d no t o nl y v e r b a l l y a nd i n wr i t i ng . O p i ni o ns c o nv e y e d c e r t a i nl y r e q ui r e s p a c e a s a m e a ns o f e x p r e s s i o n. T he o p i ni o n t ha t r e q ui r e s e x p r e s s i o n m a y b e c o nv e y e d i n a p ub l i c s p a c e . A c c o r d i ng l y , A r t i c l e 1 . 2 o f t he L a w o n Fr e e d o m o f E x p r e s s i ng O p i ni o ns i n P ub l i c d e f i ne s t he t e r m ‘p ub l i c ’ a s “I n f r o nt o f m a ny p e o p l e , o r o t he r p e o p l e , i nc l ud i ng i n p l a c e s t ha t a r e v i s i t e d a nd o r s e e n b y e v e r y o ne " . T he r ul e o f l a w t ha t p r i o r i t i z e s t he p r o t e c t i o n o f hum a n r i g ht s f o r c i t i z e ns i s t he i ni t i a l m e a ns o f d e v e l o p i ng t he und e r s t a nd i ng o f d e m o c r a c y . T hi s i s b e c a us e t he g ua r a nt e e of political r i g ht s o p e ns up o p p o r t uni t i e s f o r e v e r y i nd i v i d ua l t o p a r t i c i p a t e i n a d m i ni s t e r i ng t he g o v e r nm e nt , e i t he r d i r e c t l y o r i nd i r e c t l y . I nd o ne s i a d e c l a r e s t he t e a c hi ng s o f t he r ul e o f l a w e x p l i c i t l y i n t he 1 9 4 5 C o ns t i t ut i o n o f t he R e p ub l i c o f I nd o ne s i a ( U U DN R I 1 9 4 5 ) .

18 ALSA MAGAZINE

Photo by Frederik Lipfert on Unsplash

The i nt e r n et h as e n c o u r a g ed p a rt ie s to a s c e rt a i n t he r ol e o f t he s t a t e i n p r o p or t io n t o h u m an r i g ht s i n c o n si d e ri ng t he j u xt a p o si t io n b et w e en t he f r e e d om o f e x p r e s si o n a nd t he p r ot e ct io n o f t he r e p ut a t io ns o f o t h er s . T h e r i g ht t o f r e e d om o f o pi ni o n a nd e x p r e s si o n i s n ot a n o n - d e r o ga bl e r i g ht s . T h e r ef o r e, t he e x e r ci s e o f t he r i g ht t o f r e e d om o f o pi ni o n a nd e x p r e s si o n c an be restricted in c e rt a i n c i r c u m st a n c e s.

T h i s i s i d e nt i f i e d i n A r t ic l e 1 9 o f t he K I H SP w hi c h s t a t e s t h at t he i m pl e m e nt a t io n o f t he r i g ht t o f r e e do m o f o pi ni o n a nd e x p r e s si o n c r e at e s o bl i g at io ns a nd s p e ci a l r e s p o n si b i l i ty .

T h u s, t he r i g ht t o f r e e d om o f o pi ni o n a nd s u bj e ct to c e rt a i n e x p r e s si o n m ay b e r e s t r i c t io ns w hi c h a re r e gul a t e d b y l a w a nd n e e d ed t o r e s p e ct t he r i g ht s o r r e p ut a t io ns o f o t h er s a nd p r ot e ct n at io n al s e c u ri ty o r p u bl i c o r d er or p u bl i c h e al th or m o r al s .

R e s p e ct f o r t he r i g ht t o f r e e d om o f o pi ni o n a nd e x p r e s si o n i n I n d o n e si a h as i m p r o v ed a f t e r The Postt he S u h a rt o r e gi m e f e l l i n 1 9 9 8 .

S u h a rt o r e gi m e o p e n ed t he f a u c et for f r e e do m of o pi ni o n a nd e x p r e s si o n w hi c h r e m ai n ed c l o s ed f o r 3 0 y e a r s. H o w e v e r, i n t he p a s t d e c a d e, t he r i g ht t o t he f r e e d om o f o pi ni o n a nd e x p r e s si o n f a c es p r of o u nd c h al l e n ge s o wi ng t o t he e x i s t e n ce o f l a ws t h at c ri m i n al i z e o pi ni o ns a nd e x pr e s s i o ns o n t he i nt e r n et .

I n 2 0 0 8 , t he I n d o n e si a n g o v e r n m e nt e n a ct e d L a w N o. 1 1 o f 2 0 0 8 c o n c e r ni ng I nf o r ma t io n a nd E l e ct r o ni c T r a n s a ct io ns ( U U I T E ) . T h i s l a w c ri m i n al i z es a n y o ne w ho p u bl i s h es d ef a m at o ry m at e ri a l o n a ny e l e ct r o ni c m e di a , i n cl u di ng t he i nt e r n et . A r t ic l e 2 7 o f t he I T E L a w s t ip ul a t e s t hi s p r o hi b i t io n i n t he l i n es “ int e nt io n al l y a nd wi th o ut r i g ht s d i s t r i b ut ing a n d / o r t r an s mi t t ing m a k i ng a c c e s si b l e e l e ct r o ni c and/o r i nf o r m at io n t h at c o nt a i ns i n s ul ts and/o r d ef a m at io n. ” A n e g at iv e u s e o f s o ci a l m e di a i n I n d o n e si a i s a l s o c a u s ed b y t he l a ck of u n d e r st a n di ng of e t hi c s i n e x p r e s si ng o pi ni o ns o n a d i g i ta l p l a t f o r m . A d d i t io n al l y , t h e re is no firm g o v e r n m e nt a nd l a w e nf o r c e m e nt a g ai n s t c a s es t h at o c c ur o n s o ci a l m e di a . T h i s i s d e m o n st r at e d t h r o u gh t he n u m b er o f c a s es r e g a r di ng h o a x es a nd h at e s p e e ch o n s o ci a l m e di a . S o me c a s es t h at b e c o me p ol e mi c s r el a t e d to f r e e d om of e x p r e s si o n i n I n d o n e si a , e s pe ci a l l y t h r o u gh t he i nt e r n et a m o ng o t h e rs i n cl u de t he c a s e o f P r i ta M ul y a s ar i , t he C i k e as O ct o p us b o ok a nd t he c a s e of b l a s p h e my a g ai n s t Islam by B a s u ki T j a h aj a P u r n a ma ( A h o k ) .

I n t he c a s e o f a l l e g e d b l a s p he m y , wha t A ho k d i d whe n c a m p a i g ni ng i n t he T ho us a nd I s l a nd s became a l o ng polemic b e c a us e it is related to r e l i g i o us i s s ue s whi c h a r e s e ns i t i v e i s s ue s i n I nd o ne s i a a nd t hr e a t e n t he d i v e r s i t y o f t he I nd o ne s i a n s t a t e . I n a d d i t i o n, t he s p r e a d o f ho a x a nd ha t e ne ws ha s e v e n b e c o m e a c o m m o d i t y t ha t i s r e v e a l e d t hr o ug h t he e x i s t e nc e of t he S a r a c e ns .

T he r e f o r e , t he g o v e r nm e nt a s s um e s t ha t t he r e ha s b e e n a n a b us e o f t he f r e e d o m o f e x p r e s s i o n i n I nd o ne s i a , a nd p r e s e nt r e g ul a t i o ns c o nt a i n r e s t r i c t i o ns o n t he us e o f t he r i g ht t o f r e e d o m o f o p i ni o n, na m e l y t he L a w I T E a nd t he C i r c ul a r L e t t e r o f t he C hi e f o f P o l i c e r e g a r d i ng H a nd l i ng H a t e S p e e c h.

I n b o t h l a ws a nd r e g ul a t i o ns t he r e a r e r e s t r i c t i o ns on t he freedom of a s s o c i a t i o n. I n a d d i t i o n, t he N a t i o na l P o l i c e C hi e f s t a t e d t ha t f r e e d o m o f e x p r e s s i o n m i s us e d wi t h ha t e s p e e c h c a n l e a d t o c o l l e c t i v e ha t e whi c h m a y r e s ul t i n t he o c c ur r e nc e o f e x c l us i o n, d i s c r i m i na t i o n, v i o l e nc e , a nd g e no c i d e .

H e nc e ha t e s p e e c h m us t b e ha nd l e d a p p r o p r i a t e l y b e c a us e i t c a n i nt e r f e r e wi t h t he e x i s t e nc e of diverse c o m m uni t i e s i n I nd o ne s i a .

A d d i t i o na l l y , t he g o v e r nm e nt t hr o ug h t he I T E L a w s t i p ul a t e s l i m i t s o n o p i ni o n o n i nt e r ne t - b a s e d e l e c t r o ni c m e d i a a s r e g ul a t e d b y A r t i c l e 2 8 . T o e x e r c i s e t he f r e e d o m o f o p i ni o n o n e l e c t r o ni c m e d i a , e a c h p e r s o n m us t b e s ub j e c t t o c e r t a i n r e s t r i c t i o ns . N a m e l y , t he d e l i v e r i ng o f f a k e ne ws t ha t c a n c a us e ha r m , a nd s ha r i ng i nf o r m a t i o n wi t h t he p ur p o s e o f c a us i ng ha t r e d o r i nd i v i d ua l ho s t i l i t y .

T he r i g ht t o f r e e d o m o f o p i ni o n i s o ne o f t he hum a n r i g ht s r e l a t e d t o s e l f d e v e l o p m e nt . Fr e e d o m o f e x p r e s s i o n i s a l s o a m e a ns o f p ub l i c p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n a democracy.

20 ALSA MAGAZINE

P r o v i s i o ns r e g a r d i ng t he f r e e d o m o f e x p r e s s i o n a s a c i v i l a nd p o l i t i c a l r i g ht i s f o und i n t he U ni t e d N a t i o ns U ni v e r s a l De c l a r a t i o n o f H um a n R i g ht s ( U DH R ) a nd t he I nt e r na t i o na l C o v e na nt o n C i v i l a nd P o l i t i c a l R i g ht s ( I C C P R ) . T he U DH R a nd t he ICCPR, no t o nl y r e g ul a t e s t he r e s p o ns i b i l i t i e s a nd o b l i g a t i o ns o f t he S t a t e i n p r o t e c t i ng t he r i g ht t o f r e e d o m of expression of e v e r y o ne , b ut it d e t e r m i ne s t he possibility of t he imposition of limitation on freedom by t he S t a t e . S uc h r e s t r i c t i o ns m a y b e p o s s i b l e b e c a us e f r e e d o m o f e x p r e s s i o n i s a d e r o g a b l e r i g ht .

T he p r o - d e m o c r a c y c o m m uni t y i n I nd o ne s i a c o ns i d e r s P r i t a ' s c a s e t o b e a p r e c e d e nt f o r p a r a l y z i ng f r e e d o m o f o p i ni o n a nd e x p r e s s i o n v i a t he i nt e r ne t i n I nd o ne s i a . P ub l i c r e s i s t a nc e i n I nd o ne s i a t o t he c r i m i na l i z a t i o n o f o p i ni o ns a nd P r i t a ' s e x p r e s s i o n b r o a d e ne d . T he p ub l i c p ut up a f i g ht b y c o l l e c t i ng c o i ns t o t he a m o unt o f R p . 1 b i l l i o n. T hi s d e m o ns t r a t e s t he i nt e ns i t y wi t h whi c h t he I nd o ne s i a n p ub l i c r e s i s t e d t he a c t i o ns t o c ur t a i l t he r i g ht t o t he f r e e d o m o f o p i ni o n a nd e x p r e s s i o n o n t he i nt e r ne t . A l t e r na t i v e l y , t he a ut ho r c o nt e s t s t ho s e r e g ul a t i o ns o n f r e e d o m o f o p i ni o n a nd e x p r e s s i o n o n t he i nt e r ne t s ho ul d refer to t he J o ha nne s b ur g P r i nc i p l e s

I n t he s e P r i nc i p l e s i t i s s t a t e d t ha t a n o p i ni o n a nd expression can be c r i m i na l i z e d t hr o ug h a l a w o nl y whe n t he g o v e r nm e nt c a n d e m o ns t r a t e t ha t :

B a s e d o n wha t ha s b e e n d e s c r i b e d r e g a r d i ng t he f o r m ul a t i o n o f t he p r o b l e m , t he f o l l o wi ng c o nc l us i o ns c a n b e d r a wn:

a ) t he expression is i nt e nd e d m o t i v a t e t he v i o l e nc e t o o c c ur ;

a) T he f o r m o f r e s t r i c t i o ns on freedom of expression on social m e d i a i n I nd o ne s i a o p e r a t e s a s a p r o hi b i t i o n o n s p r e a d i ng c o nt e nt t ha t i s c l a s s i f i e d a s ha t e s p e e c h a nd f a l s e ne ws , e s p e c i a l l y t ho s e t ha t c a n ha r m o t he r s a nd d i v i d e t he na t i o n.

b ) t he expression can o c c ur r e nc e o f s uc h v i o l e nc e ;

for

motivate

c ) t he r e is a direct a nd close r e l a t i o ns hi p b e t we e n t he e x p r e s s i o n wi t h t he p o s s i b i l i t y o f o c c ur r e nc e o r o c c ur r e nc e o f s uc h v i o l e nc e t ha t ; d ) p o t e nt i a l us e o f t he i nt e r ne t f o r t he d i s s e m i na t i o n o f ha r a s s i ng i m a g e s a nd c hi l d p o r no g r a p hy W he n r e f e r r i ng t o t he no r m s a nd s t a nd a r d s of i nt e r na t i o na l hum a n r i g ht s i ns t r um e nt s , r e s t r i c t i o ns o n t he r i g ht t o f r e e d o m o f o p i ni o n a nd expression may also be applied to s up p r e s s o p i ni o ns o r e x p r e s s i o ns t ha t spread: a ) p r o p a g a nd a KIHSP)

of

wa r

( A rticle

b ) T he f r e e d o m o f e x p r e s s i o n i s a hum a n r i g ht , a nd i t s f ul f i l m e nt c a n b e l i m i t e d a s s t i p ul a t e d i n t he I C C P R , s o t ha t r e s t r i c t i o ns o n f r e e d o m o f expression in I nd o ne s i a do no t v i o l a t e t he t e a c hi ng s o f t he r ul e o f l a w, especially r e g a r d i ng t he e nf o r c e m e nt o f hum a n r i g ht s . T hi s i s b e c a us e r e s t r i c t i o ns o n f r e e d o m o f expression aim to p r e v e nt t he d i v i s i o n o f t he s t a t e a nd p r o t e c t t he hum a n r i g ht s o f o t he r s .

20

b ) ha t r e d b a s e d o n na t i o na l i t y , r a c e o r r e l i g i o n whi c h c o ns t i t ut e s i nc i t e m e nt t o d i s c r i m i na t i o n, ho s t i l i t y , o r v i o l e nc e ( Paragraph 2 A rticle 20 KIHSP)

ALSA MAGAZINE 21

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

SOCIAL MEDIA CENSORSHIP: A CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER TO FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IN ASIA WRITTEN BY : TENGKU ADIKA SURYATAMA ALSA INDONESIA

A s human beings , we are principally entitled to f reely expres s our opinions and ideas without f ear of retaliation, cens ors hip, or any other f orms of s anctions . T his concept of f reedom of expres s ion or f reedom of s peech is recognized as part of bas ic human rights by the United Nations Declaration of Human R ights and the International C ovenant on C ivil and Political R ights , which means that the concept has been accepted globally. A lbeit being globally acknowledged, a human’s f reedom to expres s thems elves is limited to a certain extent.

Des pite the noble purpos e of creating a f riendly and healthy s ocial media environment, s ome countries impos e exces s ive cens ors hip to curb certain dis s enting opinions and ideas . T his f orm of res triction on f reedom of expres s ion on s ocial media is impos ed to prevent certain opinion f rom being expres s ed publicly in f ear of a negative chain reaction of pers pectives agains t the government. T his practice pos es a potent threat to humanity’s f reedom of s peech as they are only entitled to expres s opinions approved by their governments and not their own.

T hes e limitations commonly pertain to libel, s lander, incitement, obs cenity, clas s if ied inf ormation, copyright violation, right to privacy, s edition, pornography, dignity, non- dis clos ure agreements , public s ecurity, and perjury.

T he W orld Pres s Freedom Index by R eporters W ithout Borders es timates the degree of independence and pluralis m of the media as s es s ed by journalis ts around the world and this index is widely accepted as a credible s ource to meas ure f reedom of s peech as it evaluates 1 8 0 countries and has been publis hed annually s ince 2 0 0 2 . In its 2 0 2 1 releas e, the highes t ranked country f rom A s ia is South Korea at 4 2 nd place, a ranking which has not improved s ince 2 0 1 3. Predominantly, countries in A s ia rank in the lower parts of the index. A whopping s even of the bottom ten countries in the lis t come f rom A s ia, which include Saudi A rabia, Laos , Syria, Iran, V ietnam, C hina, and North Korea.

Furthermore, the index provides that A s ia has s uf f ered a s teady decline in f reedom of s peech s ince 2019.

T his data illus trates the lack of dedication of A s ian countries in maintaining their people’s right to f reedom of expres s ion.

Social media is the primary platf orm f or people to f reely s eek, receive, and impart inf ormation amongs t other media available today. In 2 0 2 1 , your opinions and ideas can be made available to 4 . 4 8 billion people acros s the globe by s imply clicking on the s creen of your device. Once you have pos ted s omething, it is very eas y f or others to s hare it on their own platf orms , creating a chain reaction which can make your opinion go viral on the web. T he vitality of one’s s ocial media pos ts could bring both benef icial and harmf ul ef f ects . T o minimis e chances of harm, res trictions in the f orm of cens ors hip on s ocial media are enf orced by countries around the world.

ALSA MAGAZINE 23

Social media cens ors hip in A s ia has s een a rapid increas e in both variety and s cale over the pas t f ew years . T his exponential growth s uppres s es inf ormation on s ocial media through s tipulations under laws and policies made by governments . Social media platf orms are s ubject to the laws and policies of the countries in which they are made available. T hus , s ocial media companies are f orced to block and delete contents that are regarded as illegal by the authorities or f ace cons equences .

For example, Singapore pas s ed the Online Fals ehoods and Manipulation A ct which took ef f ect in October 2 0 1 9 to prohibit f ake news . T his A ct provides a s ingle government minis ter the means to order s ocial media platf orms to block opinions oppos ing the government on s ocial media by branding them as ‘f als e’ and/ or ‘mis leading’. T his f orm of power to cens or content by s ocial media platf orms is deemed as a f orm of content ‘correction’ by the government.

By mid- 2 0 2 0 , the A ct had been invoked more than 5 0 times with the primary targets being government critics .

In Indones ia, the government has repeatedly blocked the availability of entire s ocial media platf orms during demons trations and unres ts . T he larges cale cens ors hip was f irs t impos ed in May 2019 during the pres idential election

24 ALSA MAGAZINE

riots where the Minis ter of C ommunication res tricted s ocial media acces s to curb the s pread of ‘hoaxes and mis inf ormation’. In A ugus t 2 0 1 9 ,Papua and W es t Papua became s ubject to weeks of internet blackout in wake of riots agains t racial abus e.

T he government cited s ecurity concerns regarding the pos s ibility of mis inf ormation behind the s ocial media res trictions . T o add to the controvers y, the Minis ter of C ommunication is s ued the Minis terial R egulation No. 5 of 2 0 2 0 on Electronic Sys tem Operators which obliga- tes all s ocial media platf orms , including multinational companies s uch as Facebook, T ikT ok, and T witter, to ens ure that‘ prohibited contents ’ are not dis tributed.

T he regulation f orces s ocial media platf orms to take down thes e contents within a determined period or f ace cons equences like s ervice blockage by the government. A s ia is als o home to C hina, a country with 9 30 . 8 million s ocial media us ers , amounting to nearly 2 1 % of all us ers around the world. Des pite the colos s al number of people inves ted in us ing s ocial media, C hina is the world’s leader in terms of impos ing s ocial media res trictions .

R es trictions are us ually impos ed via a combination of legis lations and technologies nicknamed 'T he Great Firewall of C hina’. Social media cens ors hip in C hina is immens ely s ophis ticated.

The Chinese government possesses strict control over internet access via intense monitoring. Besides that, China als o has a comprehensive self censoring system appl ied on social media platforms .

A mnesty International stated that China has the largest number of imprisoned journal ists and cyber diss idents in the world.

A s ia tend to us e broad and vague def initions in their legis lations and policies pertaining to s ocial media. T he implementation of thes e laws and policies has the ris k of multiinterpretation which would enable governments to f reely block or remove s ocial media contents that are unf avorable to them.

Restrictions to freedom of speech and expression were notably seen by the international eye during the 2019–202 0 Hong Kong protests. During that period, the Great Firewall was used in full force as the Chinese government extensively censored various contents in social media about the protests, even going as far as ordering the media to delete any video related to it.

Other countries in As ia such as Thai land, Cambodia, Laos, and V ietnam saw a worsening s ituation with regard to freedom of expression in social media due to the growing grip of their governments. Even Malaysia, one of the higher ranked countries in As ia, especial ly Southeast As ia, in terms of freedom of expression, has seen a horrif ic decl ine in recent times.

The latest repression of free speech in Malaysia comes under the Emergency Ordinance No. 2 of 202 1 which is a part of a series of ordinances enacted during the state of emergency declared during the COV ID-1 9 pandemic. This ordinance resembles the Anti-Fak e News Ac t of 201 8 and actions have been taken towards a total of 46 5 fals e contents s ince March 2020 . A s of Ju ly 2021 , 4 9 fake news items had been repel led this year in accordance with the stipulations of the ordinance. It can be analyzed from the ris e of restrictions on freedom of speech across As ia that there is a s imi lar pattern to its appl ication. Countries in

C onceptually, limitation towards f reedom of expres s ion is jus tif ied by the harm principle. T his principle s tipulates that the right of an individual mus t only be upheld to the extent that it does not harm the right of others . However, the s tandard us ed in the harm principle dif f ers as it is contemporary in nature.

T hus , des pite the univers al acknowledgement of f reedom of expres s ion as part of bas ic human rights , what cons titutes as harming the right of another is not s omething that can be univers ally applied.

T he res pons ibility to uphold bas ic human rights , es pecially f reedom of expres s ion on s ocial media, lies primarily with the good will of each nation. A s ia’s decline in terms of f reedom of expres s ion, s hows that countries in this continent pos s es s very little of this good will. C ens ors hip of s ocial media is a clear and pres ent danger to our rights to expres s what we believe in, and our rights will continue to be s uppres s ed if we do not do anything about it.

ALSA MAGAZINE 25

AFGHANISTAN, PEACE, AND THE POLITICAL ARENA WRITTEN BY: AULIA SHIFA HAMIDA ALSA INDONESIA H o w d o l e g i s l a t o r s f i nd c o m m o n g r o und t o p r o t e c t t he r i g ht s o f a l l t he i r c i t i z e ns wi t ho ut o v e r r e p r e s e nt i ng a ny o ne s e c t a r i a n i nt e r e s t ? B y s e p a r a t i ng r e l i g i o n f r o m s t a t e a nd a t t he s a m e t i m e , g ua r a nt e e i ng t he p e o p l e ’s f r e e d o m o f a nd from r e l i g i o n.

How do na t i o na l i s t s a nd s e p a r a t i s t s m e e t e a c h o t he r ha l f wa y ? B y m e a ns o f r e f e r e nd um . H o w d o c a p i t a l i s t s a nd s o c i a l i s t s accommodate each o t he r ’s ideological i nt e r e s t ? B y m e a ns o f p r o g r e s s i v e t a x whi l e p r o t e c t i ng t he r i g ht t o we a l t h a c c um ul a t i o n.

T hi s t r a d e - o f f wa y o f ne g o t i a t i o n i s t he b ui l d i ng b l o c k o f a ny c o unt r y s e e k i ng t o m a i nt a i n a p e a c e f ul c o e x i s t e nc e a m o ng i t s c i t i z e ns wi t h c ul t ur a l , i d e o l o g i c a l , p o l i t i c a l , a nd r e l i g i o us d i f f e r e nc e s .

S p e a k i ng o f p e a c e , b o t h a s a c o nc e p t a nd a s a n a t t a i na b l e g o a l , A f g ha ni s t a n ha s no t b e e n, f o r d e c a d e s , a p o l i t i c a l he a v e n t o s t a r t wi t h.

T he aggregate e c o no m i c , e nv i r o nm e nt a l , p o l i t i c a l , a nd s o c i a l c a s ua l t i e s i nf l i c t e d b y t wo d e c a d e s o f T a l i b a n i ns ur g e nc y ha v e s ub j e c t e d A f g ha n c i v i l i a ns t o a hum a n r i g ht s c r i s i s r a ng i ng from e x t r a j ud i c i a l k i l l i ng s , hum a n t r a f f i c k i ng , a nd r e l i g i o us extremism to r e s t r i c t i o n t o e d uc a t i o n a nd c ul t ur a l g e no c i d e .

Fi r s t a nd f o r e m o s t , i t i s c r uc i a l t o und e r s t a nd t he o r i g i n o f t he T a l i b a n b e f o r e c o nc l ud i ng t ha t t he y a r e r e s p o ns i b l e f o r wha t ha s ha p p e ne d i n t he l a s t t wo d e c a d e s .

26 ALSA MAGAZINE

Photo by Andre Klimke on Unsplash

B a c k i n 1 9 7 9 whe n t he f o r m e r S o v i e t U ni o n i nv a d e d A f g ha ni s t a n, t he c o unt r y wa s a n i m p o r t a nt p o l i t i c a l a r e na d ur i ng t he C o l d W a r b e t we e n t he f o r m e r S o v i e t U ni o n a nd t he U ni t e d States.

O c c up i e d wi t h a nt i - C o m m uni s t s e nt i m e nt s a nd s t r i v i ng t o m a i nt a i n I s l a m i c t r a d i t i o ns , A f g ha n g ue r r i l l a s c a l l e d M uj a hi d e e n, f und e d i n p a r t b y t he U S , wa g e d wa r a g a i ns t S o v i e t i nv a s i o n a nd t he i nv a s i o n o f f i c i a l l y e nd e d i n 1 9 8 9 . T he M uj a hi d e e n- b a c k e d g o v e r nm e nt wa s s t e e p e d i n c o r r up t i o n a nd t he T a l i b a n t o o k over t he c o nt r o l to c ur b t he immoral M uj a hi d e e n. T he i d e o l o g i c a l p ur p o s e wa s d i v i ne a nd t he T a l i b a n, i n f a c t , s uc c e e d e d i n c ur t a i l i ng t he c o r r up t i o n. N e v e r t he l e s s , t he i r s e v e r e a nd unc o m p r o m i s i ng i nt e r p r e t a t i o n, if no t p e r v e r s i o n, o f S ha r i a l a w ha s s t a r t e d a hum a n r i g ht s c r i s i s . T he T a l i b a n he l d p ub l i c e x e c ut i o ns o f a d ul t e r e r s , a m p ut a t e d t ho s e g ui l t y o f t he f t , r e q ui r e d m e n t o g r o w b e a r d s a nd f o r c e d wo m e n t o we a r b ur q a s . T he y b a nne d m us i c , t e l e v i s i o ns , a nd c i ne m a s .

G i r l s a b o v e t he a g e o f 1 0 we r e no t a l l o we d t o g o t o s c ho o l a nd wo m e n we r e no t a l l o we d t o wo r k . I n t he a f t e r m a t h o f t he 9 / 1 1 a t t a c k , t he U S i nv a d e d A f g ha ni s t a n, b e l i e v i ng i t t o b e O s a m a b i n L a d e n’s s a nc t ua r y , t o e ns ur e t ha t i t wo ul d ne v e r a g a i n p r o v i d e s he l t e r t o a ny t e r r o r i s t o r g a ni z a t i o ns , a nd t o c o unt e r t he i l l e g i t i m a t e T a l i b a n b y a c q ua i nt i ng A f g ha ns wi t h W e s t e r ns t y l e d e m o c r a c y . Dur i ng t he U S - l e d o c c up a t i o n, s e v e r a l l a ws we r e i nt r o d uc e d t o g i v e g i r l s a nd wo m e n t he r i g ht t o e d uc a t i o n a nd e m p l o y m e nt .

I n 2 0 2 0 , t he t he n U S P r e s i d e nt Do na l d T r um p m a d e a d e a l wi t h t he T a l i b a n t o b r i ng p e a c e i n t he r e g i o n. T he U S a nd o t he r N A T O c o unt r i e s , a f t e r t wo d e c a d e s o f d e p l o y i ng t he i r t r o o p s a nd p r o v i d i ng hum a ni t a r i a n a nd f i na nc i a l a i d t o A f g ha ni s t a n, ha v e f i r m l y d e c i d e d t o wi t hd r a w t he i r t r o o p s . A s p a r t o f t he d e a l , t he T a l i b a n p r o m i s e d no t t o p r o v i d e s a nc t ua r y t o a ny e x t r e m i s t o r t e r r o r i s t o r g a ni z a t i o ns i n t he r e g i o n, i n p a r t i c ul a r t he a l - Q a e d a , a nd t o ho l d peace talks wi t h t he US- backed K a b ul g o v e r nm e nt r e g a r d i ng a possible p o we r s ha r i ng a g r e e m e nt . T he i nc um b e nt U S P r e s i d e nt J o e B i d e n ha s b e e n f i r m l y s t i c k i ng t o hi s p r e d e c e s s o r ’s p o l i c y t o wi t hd r a w U S t r o o p s , p ut t i ng a n o f f i c i a l e nd t o O p e r a t i o n Fr e e d o m ’s S e nt i ne l .

ALSA MAGAZINE 27

Fo l l o wi ng t he wi t hd r a wa l o f t he U ni t e d States a nd North A t l a nt i c Treaty O r g a ni z a t i o n ( NA TO) troops from A f g ha ni s t a n, t he c ur r e nt s t a t us q uo ha s been proven to be comparatively a d v a nt a g e o us f o r t he T a l i b a n. E v e n t ho ug h t he y p r o m i s e d t o no t p r o v i d e s a nc t ua r y t o a ny e x t r e m i s t a nd t e r r o r i s t o r g a ni z a t i o ns a nd t o no t t a r g e t U S s e c ur i t y i nt e r e s t s , t he y c o nt i nue d t o l a unc h d e a d l y a t t a c k s o n A f g ha n f o r c e s a nd c i v i l i a ns , b r i ng i ng t he p o s s i b l e d i a l o g ue b e t we e n K a b ul - T a l i b a n p e a c e talks to a deadlock.

T he Taliban s p o k e s m a n S uha i l S ha he e n e x p l i c i t l y asserted t ha t t he r e s i g na t i o n of P r e s i d e nt A s hr a f G ha ni wa s a p r e r e q ui s i t e f o r t he Do ha t a l k s t o s uc c e e d , i nd i c a t i ng t he i r c o m m i t t e d o b j e c t i v e t o e s t a b l i s h t he i r o wn s y s t e m o f g o v e r nm e nt o n t he b a s i s o f S ha r i a l a w. A s o f l a t e J ul y , t he T a l i b a n ha s a l s o t a k e n c o nt r o l o f r o ug hl y ha l f o f t he c o unt r y ' s 4 0 0 d i s t r i c t s . A f g ha n f o r c e s a l s o ha v e l i t t l e t o no b a r g a i ni ng p o we r d ue t o p o o r m o r a l e a nd l o w r e c r ui t m e nt r a t e . T hi s p o s e s a n e x i s t e nt i a l t hr e a t t o both t he A f g ha n g o v e r nm e nt a nd c i v i l i a ns s i nc e t he y ha v e , f o r d e c a d e s , he a v i l y r e l i e d o n f o r e i g n a s s i s t a nc e .

M a ny A f g ha n c i v i l i a ns ha v e f l e d t o o t he r c o unt r i e s s e e k i ng p o l i t i c a l a s y l um . A s o f l a s t y e a r , t he U ni t e d N a t i o ns H i g h C o m m i s s i o ne r f o r R e f ug e e s c o nf i r m e d t ha t t he r e a r e m o r e t ha n 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 A f g ha n a s y l um s e e k e r s i n T ur k e y . T he i nf l ux o f A f g ha n r e f ug e e s i n T ur k e y ha s l e d t o t he d e t e nt i o n o f i l l e g a l m i g r a nt s , s i nc e T ur k e y ha s a l r e a d y ho s t e d 3 . 7 m i l l i o n S y r i a n r e f ug e e s . Fl e e i ng t he c o unt r y no whe r e ne a r g ua r a nt e e s A f g ha ns a s t a r t i ng - o v e r o f a d e c e nt l i f e a s m a ny c o unt r i e s a r e k e e p i ng t he i r m i g r a nt p o l i c i e s t i g ht d ue t o na t i o na l s e c ur i t y i nt e r e s t s .

28 ALSA MAGAZINE

V a r i o us s o l ut i o ns ha v e b e e n p ut o n t he table a nd deliberated.

Some wo r l d l e a d e r s a r e m a i nt a i ni ng t he i r i nc l us i v e m i g r a nt p o l i c i e s , p a r t i c ul a r l y I r a n a nd P a k i s t a n, who , t o g e t he r , ho s t 9 0 % o f A f g ha n r e f ug e e s , a c c o unt i ng f o r o v e r t wo m i l l i o n r e g i s t e r e d A f g ha ns . O n t o p o f t ha t , t he Biden a d m i ni s t r a t i o n ha s i nt r o d uc e d a ne w s c he m e of hum a ni t a r i a n a nd f i na nc i a l a s s i s t a nc e a s p a r t o f i t s c o nt i nue d s up p o r t f o r A f g ha ni s t a n, a m o unt i ng t o o v e r U S $ 2 6 6 m i l l i o n. T he U S H o us e o f R e p r e s e nt a t i v e s ha s a l s o p a s s e d t he A v e r t i ng L o s s o f L i f e a nd I nj ur y b y E x p e d i t i ng S I V s ( A L L I E S ) , a l e g i s l a t i o n a i m i ng t o i nc r e a s e t he v i s a c a p f o r A f g ha n i nt e r p r e t e r s a nd o t he r p a r t ne r s who ha v e been wo r k i ng t o g e t he r wi t h t he U S d ur i ng t he A f g ha n c i v i l wa r . N e v e r t he l e s s , e v e r y t hi ng s e e m s t o b e o v e r s ha d o we d b y t he T a l i b a n’s z e a l f o r e s t a b l i s hi ng i t s o wn I s l a m i c s y s t e m o f g o v e r nm e nt . L a c k i ng j us t p o we r , t he T a l i b a n d o e s no t , i f no t ne v e r , ne e d t he c o ns e nt o f t he g o v e r ne d . T he y a r e e x p a nd i ng t he i r i d e o l o g i c a l , r e l i g i o us , a nd t e r r i t o r i a l c o nq ue s t t o f o r m t he i r o wn s y s t e m o f g o v e r nm e nt b a s e d o n o ne sectarian i nt e r e s t .

T he y aim to s y s t e m a t i z e t he p e r v e r t e d f o r m o f S ha r i a based on De o b a nd i f und a m e nt a l i s m whi c h i s m o t i v a t e d b y t he i r j i ha d i s t c a us e .

I n t e r ms o f f o r ei g n r el a t io n s, t he T a l i b an d o es n ot w a nt d i p l o m a cy b e c a u se t h ey d o n ot s t r i v e f o r d e j u re r e c o g ni t io n; t h ey s t r i v e f o r j ih a di s m t o t he p oi nt t h at t h ei r l o n g - s t a n di ng d i v i ne p u r p o se i s b ei ng o v e r s h a d o w ed b y p ol i t ic s . I n r e c e nt t im e s, t h ey h a ve b e en e n g a gi ng wi th C h i na a nd R u s s i a , b ot h i n a m ut u al m a n n e r, a nd t hi s p r o vi d ed t he i nt e r n at io n al c o m m u ni ty a h a rd g l i m p se o f t he T a l i b a n’s o bj e ct iv e t o g ai n t r u st a nd r e c o g ni t io n as t he l e gi t im at e g o v e r n m e nt o f A f g h a ni s t a n, f o l l o wi ng t he c o m p a r at iv e a d v a nt a ge t h ey h a ve g ai n ed s i n ce t he b e gi n ni ng o f t he U S a nd N A T O t r o o ps wi th d r a w al . O n J u l y 28, t he T a l i b an d el e g at e d ni ne r e p r e s e nt a t iv e s , i n cl u di ng M ul l a h A b d u l G h a ni B a r a d a r, t he p ol i t ic al c hi e f o f t he T a l i b a n, to m e et C h i n e se F o r ei g n M i ni s t e r W a ng Yi w h e re t he T a l i b an r e p r e s e nt a t iv es w e re a s s u r ed o f C h i n a’s c o nt r i b ut ing r ol e “ in t he p r o c e ss o f p e a c ef ul r e c o n ci l ia t io n a nd r e c o n st r u ct io n in A f g h a ni s t a n” in e x c h a n ge f o r t he r e a s s u r a n ce t h at t he T a l i b an w o ul d c r a ck d o wn o n t he E a st T u r k e st a n I s l a mi c M o v e m e nt i n t he X i nj ia ng r e gi o n, o ne o f t he k ey t h r e at s t o C h i n a’s n at io n al s e c u ri ty .

On t he o t h er h a n d, t he f o r gi ng t ie s b et w e en t he T a l i b an a nd Russia, d e s pi te t he f a ct t h at M o s c ow h as d e si g n at e d it as a t e r r o ri s t o r g a ni z a t io n, h as also b e en a p ol i t ic al l y m ot iv at e d q ui d pro q uo d i p l o m a c y. M o s c ow a p pl a u d ed t he U S t r o o p s’ wi th d r a w al a nd M o s c ow c an n ow r e g ai n i ts d o mi n a n ce i n t he r e gi o n wi th h o p es t h at i t c an c u rt a i l t he t h r e at o f t e r r o ri s t g r o u ps s u ch a s t he I S I S a nd t he a l - Q a e d a i n C e nt r al A s i a b y m e a ns r el a t io n s hi p wi th t he o f a s t a bl e T a l i b a n. W h i l e v i s i t ing M o s c ow on July 8, t he T a l i b an d el e g at io n a s s u r ed M o s c ow t h at t h ey w o ul d n ot h a rm M o s c ow a nd i ts C e nt r al A s i a n a l l ie s ’ n at io n al s e c ur i ty i nt e r e st s , m a r ki ng g o od r el a t io ns b et w e en t he t w o.

T he s e e m i ng l y q ui d p r o q uo wa y o f t he T a l i b a n d i p l o m a c y wi t h C hi na a nd R us s i a hi g hl i g ht s t he i d e o l o g i c a l d i f f e r e nc e s o f f o r e i g n p o l i c y p r e f e r e nc e b e t we e n t he t wo l a t t e r c o unt r i e s a nd t he U S . C hi na a nd R us s i a ha v e a s t r o ng t r a c k r e c o r d o f m a i nt a i ni ng t he i r no n- i nt e r f e r e nc e p o l i c i e s i n t he d o m e s t i c a f f a i r s o f o t he r c o unt r i e s whi c h p o s i t i o ns t he m i n a comparatively a d v a nt a g e o us m a nne r whe n b e i ng d e a l t wi t h a no t he r l a wb r e a k i ng regime whi l e ha v i ng a c o ns i d e r a b l e c a p a c i t y t o d e m a nd a t r a d e - o f f . M e a nwhi l e , t he U S ho l d s a c o m m i t t e d s t a nc e t o m a i nt a i ni ng g l o b a l p e a c e a nd s e c ur i t y e v e n i f i t m e a ns t ha t m i l i t a r y i nt e r f e r e nc e i s ne e d e d . Ye t whe n i t c o m e s t o t he T a l i b a n, g i v i ng t he m a s e a t t o s i t d o wn wi t ho ut r e s e r v i ng a s e a t for t he legitimate K a b ul - b a s e d g o v e r nm e nt i s e q ua l t o g i v i ng t he T a l i b a n a d e j ur e r e c o g ni t i o n. C hi na a nd R us s i a may ha v e d i f f e r e nt foreign p o l i c i e s f r o m t he U S , b ut A f g ha ni s t a n s ho ul d no t b e m i s t a k e n f o r a p o l i t i c a l a r e na i n whi c h t he y a r e t r y i ng t o e x e r t i nf l ue nc e for t he sake of political a d v a nt a g e .

W ha t is ha p p e ni ng in A f g ha ni s t a n i s a g l o b a l t hr e a t , a nd a l l c o unt r i e s , whe t he r t he y a r e d e m o c r a t i c o r r e l i g i o us l y a ut ho r i t a r i a n, ne e d t o s e t a s i d e t he i r p o l i t i c a l , e c o no m i c , a nd strategic ambition to cooperate in b ui l d i ng c o nc e r t e d e f f o r t s t o c o unt e r t he T a l i b a n.

ALSA MAGAZINE 29

W a y s t o p ur s ue a p e a c e f ul r e c o nc i l i a t i o n i n A f g ha ni s t a n i nc l ud e ho l d i ng t a l k s wi t h t he l e g i t i m a t e K a b ul - b a s e d g o v e r nm e nt , no t e nt e r i ng i nt o a q ui d pro q uo a g r e e m e nt wi t h t he T a l i b a n, a nd ha v i ng ideologically d i f f e r e nt c o unt r i e s c o o p e r a t i ng t o p ut i nt e r na t i o na l p r e s s ur e o n t he T a l i b a n t o c o m p l y wi t h t he Do ha d e a l . I n t e r m s o f d o m e s t i c p o l i c i e s , wo r l d l e a d e r s c a n r e v i e w t he i r m i g r a nt p o l i c i e s a nd p a s s m o r e i nc l us i v e l e g i s l a t i o ns f o r A f g ha n r e f ug e e s . A f r i e nd l y m i g r a nt p o l i c y wi l l d i m i ni s h t he l i k e l i ho o d o f a r e f ug e e c r i s i s , p r o v i d e s a f e s he l t e r s t o t ho s e d i s p l a c e d , a nd p r e v e nt d e t e nt i o n r a t e s d ue t o i l l e g a l i m m i g r a t i o n. I t i s c l e a r t ha t e v e n t he U ni t e d N a t i o ns S e c ur i t y C o unc i l R e s o l ut i o n 2 5 1 3 ( 2 0 2 0 ) i s i ne f f e c t i v e i n a d d r e s s i ng t he wo r s e ni ng crisis in A f g ha ni s t a n. T hus , i t i s wo r t hwhi l e t o q ue s t i o n t he ‘i nt e r na t i o na l c o ns e ns us ’ o n p r o t e c t i ng hum a n r i g ht s b e y o nd a c o unt r y ’s na t i o na l b o r d e r b e c a us e t he d e f e nd i ng s t a t e s ’ c o m p l i a nc e to t he c o ns e ns us d e p e nd s very m uc h on p o l i t i c i z e d na t i o na l s e c ur i t y c o m p r o m i s e s a nd o t he r q ui d p r o q uo f o r e i g n p o l i c i e s .

30 ALSA MAGAZINE

Even t he l e g a l l y - b i nd i ng s are no t b i nd i ng a ny m o r e . O r t he y ha v e ne v e r b e e n. E v e r y wo r l d l e a d e r ne e d s t o i m p o s e s a nc t i o ns o n a ny c o unt r y , b o t h f r i e nd s a nd f o e s , f o r p o l i t i c i z i ng t he wa r i n A f g ha ni s t a n f o r t he i r o wn a d v a nt a g e .

A l l wo r l d l e a d e r s ne e d t o t a k e o n t he same approach to wha t e v e r t he i r o b j e c t i v e i s , b e i t r e s o l v i ng t he c o nf l i c t or a c q ua i nt i ng A f g ha ni s t a n wi t h d e m o c r a c y . T he r e wi l l ne v e r b e a wi nwi n o ut c o m e . E i t he r t he t wo - d e c a d e wa r wi l l c o m e t o a n e nd , o r t he i nt e r na t i o na l c o m m uni t y f a i l s t o d o t he r i g ht t hi ng i n t he m a k i ng o f A f g ha n m o d e r n hi s t o r y .

Photo by Sohaib Ghyasi on Unsplash

HUMAN RIGHTS AND INDONESIA’S STATE OBLIGATION IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19 WRITTEN BY : DEVINKA LUKITO, RAY SURJADINATA, VILIA EVANI SILALAHI, ALSA INDONESIA Since the beginning of the pandemic, W HO has urged governments to take immediate and vigorous meas ures to halt the virus 's s pread. T his meas ure is s purred by the inane right to lif e which s erves as a reminder that all governments have a res pons ibility to pres erve human lif e by addres s ing s ocietal conditions that lead to direct dangers to lif e. In International Law, s tates are repres ented as the primary duty- bearers of Human R ights Obligations .

T he purpos e of human rights and s tates revolve around the exercis es of their power. In this current circums tance, human rights can as s is t States to regulate their res pons e meas ures to maximize ef f ectivenes s and mitigate negative circums tances in res pons e to C ovid- 1 9 .

T H E C O N F L I C T C L AS H B E T WE E N C O VI D -1 9 AN D T H E S T AT E In the beginning of this pandemic, there were multiple worrying circums tances in the handling of the virus . T hes e aris e f rom the inef f ective communication of the government pertaining to C ovid- 1 9 matters , and the dilemmas between the economic and public health pers pectives of C ovid- 1 9 .

1 . Lack of T rans parency Governments are res pons ible f or providing inf ormation neces s ary f or protecting and promoting rights , including the right to health. Data trans parency is an abs olute requirement f or a s ucces s f ul C OV ID1 9 handling program.

32 ALSA MAGAZINE

T his is required to pres ent the real condition of each region as it will af f ect data on a national level and has a direct impact on central government policies .

Indones ia’s National Dis as ter Mitigation A gency reported that the Health Minis try’s s tatis tics did not match the f igures that provincial adminis trations were reporting.

A nother is s ue s urrounding the lack of trans parency of C ovid- 1 9 cas es is the number of inf ections and deaths that has been underreported due to the low rate of tes ting in Indones ia. T here is no dis play of the number of daily tes ting and percentage of cas es per dis trict or city.

A ccordingly, thes e unreported C ovid1 9 cas es and data updates are not repres ented making s trategic actions inappropriate. T heref ore, data trans parency in reporting C ovid- 1 9 cas es mus t be prioritized.

2 . Inacces s ible public health s trategies In Indones ia, due to the lack of s ciencebas ed policies , the Pres ident appointed a technical s tructure through military dominated s tructure in the beginning which res ulted in a complication of s ecurity- approach to public health matters . T his is demons trated in the data provided by the Indones ian Minis try of Health in J anuary 2 0 2 0 . a. Lack of health f acilities and manpower Due to the ris e of C ovid- 1 9 cas es acros s the archipelago, Indones ia’s lack of hos pital f acilities f rom beds and general workers are es timated to need more than 3. 0 0 0 additional phys icians and nurs es to treat C ovid- 1 9 patients . T es ting protocol is

ment's fai lure to foresee such a dramatic spike in cases, resulting in a lack of planning and supply.

HU M AN RIGHTS AN D I ND O N ES I A’S O B L I G AT I O N I N CO VI D -1 9

ST AT E

International Human R ights Treaties and Customary International Law impose three obl igations on States: the duty to respect; the duty to protect; and the duty to fulf i l.

W hi le the balance between these obl igations may vary according to the rights involved, they apply to all civi l, pol itical, economic, social, and cultural rights. Indonesia anticipated the s ituation by implementing several health protocols such as social distancing, self- isolation, and testing. However, its responsibi l ities include providing the basic minimum rights in terms of security and accessibi l ity to health care and systems based on the obl igations. als o a contributing factor to the low numbers of testing. Contrary to W HO guidel ines, the official national guidel ines distinguis h suspect cases into two different categories. The reluctance by the health authority to decentral ize the testing process persists amid enormous publ ic pressure, even when provincial leaders have shown initiative in ass isting the testing process. b. Lack of protective equipment Indonesia has als o faced a scarcity of personal protective equipment (PPE ) for medical professionals s ince March 2020 , making it diff icult to combat the spread of Covid-19 . A lthough there were warnings from international experts, Indonesia did not acknowledge these required precautions.

The lack of personal protective equipment als o puts health professionals in danger, increasing the chance of infection. Moreover, with the rapid increase of Covid cases in Indonesia, the government has announced that oxygen suppl ies in several hospitals in the country were running low.

This occurred because of the enormous number of patients who came practical ly s imultaneously, causing the need for oxygen to surge quickly, as well as the govern-

In today’s unprecedented cris is , countries including Indonesia that are bound by international obl igations have ensured the guarantee of the right to health and its impl ications.

Measures such as prevention, control, and treatment are necessary steps to be assessed in times of a pandemic or outbreak to mitigate any unintended results.

In this case, human rights play a s ignif icant role in relation to Covid-1 9 as it guides States on how to exercis e their power in order to acknowledge and take action on national emergencies for the benefit of the people. Thereby, the scale and severity of Covid-1 9 justif ies certain restrictions on the grounds of publ ic health.

Health is a fundamental human right as stipulated in the General Comment of the United Nations number 1 4 concerning the R ight to the Highest Standard of Health.

This provis ion specif ies that States are obl iged to pay attention to the avai labi l ity, acceptabi l ity, and qual ity of health services to the publ ic. Thus, the state’s obl igations towards its human rights responsibilities under international humani-

tarian law encompassing the right to life and the duty to protect life.

ALSA MAGAZINE 33

1 . Right to life and the duty to protect life In combating Covid-19 , it is crucial to protect the l ives of all human beings by addressing the conditions that give ris e to the direct threats to l ife. The right to l if e is a fundamental principle of international human rights law. This is demonstrated in Art icle 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human R ights (UDHR ) which states that

everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of a person A lthough this particular article ref ers to a generic meaning, the words it carries should not be “narrowly interpreted” as The United Nations Human R ights C ommittee has noted in General C omment No. 36 . A ccordingly, the duty to protect the right to life entails that any s ubstantive ground f or deprivation of life mus t be prescribed by law and defined with s uf f icient precis ion to avoid overly broad or arbitrary interpretation or application. A s s een under the ICC PR , the right to life is a non-derogable right which means it should not be delayed or sus pended even in a s tate of emergency.

The duty to protect by law the right to life als o requires State parties to organize all State organs and governance structures through which public authority is exercised. However, in Indones ia’s cas e the government was unprepared and incons is tent in implementing precaution measures. In March 2020 , the W HO sent a notice to the Pres ident of Indonesia requesting the level of preparation in f acing this pandemic.

ALSA MAGAZINE 34

the response by the However, Minister of Health was misleading to public perception.

A rticle 1 2 ( 1 ) of IC ESC R and 1 2 ( b) of General C omment Number 1 4 s tipulate that the trans parency of inf ormation is vital and may determine mis inf ormation that may threaten public lif e. T he obligation to protect encompas s es the implementation of a proper legal f ramework ens uring trans parency in data and inf ormation and an action plan that elucidates the national health s trategy in a s tate of emergency bas ed on the principles of accountability, trans parency and judicial independence.

T his is integral as good governance is es s ential to the ef f ective implementation of all human rights .

2 . R ight to health and acces s to health care A ccording to A rticle 1 ( 1 ) Law Number 36 of 2 0 0 9 of Indones ia, the purpos e health is cons idered a f undamental human right as it s ignif ies humanity. [ 1 6 ] T he right to health is inherent to the right to lif e. In Indones ia’s cas e there are many complications in the handling of C ovid1 9 due to the lack of medical s taf f , health f acilities , inf ras tructure and acces s .

In this context, one of the mos t crucial principles that needs to be met is the obligation of the State to f ulf ill every citizen’s right to health. T he right to health is an inclus ive right and contains entitlements and f reedom. A rticle 1 2 . 2 of T he United Nations Human R ights C ommittee General C omment No. 36 concerning States Parties ’ Obligations impos ed 3 levels of obligations on State parties regarding the right to health: the obligations to res pect, protect, and f ulf ill.

T his provis ion illus trates the need f or the implementation of s erious ef f orts concerning f ood, nutrition, s helter, working conditions and environment.

Moreover, the government has an obligation to f ind s olutions and alternatives f or af f ordable and acces s ible health s ervices and the availability of f ood and jobs with a proper emergency f ramework.

Indones ia's government and its s ociety need to comprehend that vaccination is not the main indicator of f lattening the curve, rather it is only one part of the 5 M + V DJ + 3T s trategy. T heref ore, s trengthening the 5 M protocol ( maintaining dis tance, was hing hands , wearing mas ks , avoiding crowds , limiting mobility) and s trengthening the 3T ( tes ting, tracking, treatment) program is es s ential.

T hus , the f ulf illment of the right to health is acknowledged both nationally and internationally as it is identif ied as a right guaranteed by the 1 9 4 5 C ons titution of the R epublic of Indones ia. In regard to this , the right to health cannot be interpreted as a right to be healthy but it is the right to acces s health f acilities .

In conclus ion, Indones ia’s government is res pons ible in entirety to f ulf ill the State's obligations to protect and res pect human rights . T his is inclus ive of res pecting democratic principles in handling C ovid1 9 . A lthough a pandemic is a health emergency that has an impact on economic and s ocial is s ues , res trictions on actions and policies mus t be proportionate and mus t not compromis e human rights and democracy which are protected and guaranteed by the cons titution.

Moreover, the government mus t create a good f low of coordination between the central government and local governments in ens uring the protection of human rights in the f ace of a global pandemic.

T he res pons ibility of the government is to ens ure there is protection that is not only limited to provide health f acilities but als o acces s ibility and af f ordability in accordance with an individual’s purchas ing power.

35 ALSA MAGAZINE

WHY THE INDONESIAN POLICE ARE LOSING THE PUBLIC’S TRUST WRITTEN BY : EDELWEIS BINTANG REVINDA, ALSA INDONESIA P o l i c e b r ut a l i t y i s ne v e r a b s e nt f r o m I nd o ne s i a n he a d l i ne s . I t i s a we l l - k no wn f a c t t ha t I nd o ne s i a n P o l i c e b e a t o r e v e n k i l l p e o p l e wi t ho ut f e a r o f p r o s e c ut i o n.

A l t ho ug h we he a r a l o t o f p o l i c e b r ut a l i t y i n I nd o ne s i a , i t i s s uc h a r a r e m o m e nt t o he a r o f c r i m i na l i nv e s t i g a t i o ns i nt o hum a n r i g ht s v i o l a t i o ns a g a i ns t t he p o l i c e . B o t h I nd o ne s i a ' s N a t i o na l H um a n R i g ht s C o m m i s s i o n ( K o m na s H A M ) a nd t he N a t i o na l P o l i c e C o m m i s s i o n ( K o m p o l na s ) a r e l i k e l y t o r e c e i v e p ub l i c c o m p l a i nt s a b o ut p o l i c e m i s c o nd uc t , b ut s a d l y t he y ha v e no r e m i t t o r e f e r c a s e s o f c r i m i na l o f f e nc e s i nv o l v i ng hum a n r i g ht s v i o l a t i o ns t o t he P ub l i c P r o s e c ut o r ’s o f f i c e . T he f a i l ur e o f p o l i c e t o b e g o v e r ne d b y t he l a w i s e v i d e nc e o f d o ub l e s t a nd a r d s .

T he num b e r o f p o l i c e k i l l i ng s o f s us p e c t e d d r ug d e a l e r s ha s s k y r o c k e t e d i n I nd o ne s i a i n 2 0 1 7 . A m ne s t y I nt e r na t i o na l r e p o r t e d t ha t a t l e a s t 6 0 we r e k i l l e d und e r t he g ui s e o f b e i ng ‘d r ug s us p e c t s ’ t hr o ug h.

W e a l l k no w t he a ut ho r i t i e s ha v e a d ut y t o r e s p o nd t o i nc r e a s i ng r a t e s o f d r ug us e i n t he c o unt r y , b ut s ho o t i ng p e o p l e o n s i g ht i s ne v e r a s o l ut i o n. T he f o r m e r C hi e f o f t he I nd o ne s i a n N a t i o na l P o l i c e , C o m r .

G e ne r a l T i t o K a r na v i a n a l s o ha i l e d t he P hi l i p p i ne s ’ P r e s i d e nt R o d r i g o Dut e r t e ’s “wa r o n d r ug s ” a s a n e x a m p l e o f ho w t o m a k e d r ug d e a l e r s “g o a wa y ”. I n t he P hi l i p p i ne s , t ho us a nd s o f p e o p l e ha v e b e e n k i l l e d b y o r a t t he b e he s t o f t he s e c ur i t y f o r c e s i n wha t m a y a m o unt t o e x t r a j ud i c i a l e x e c ut i o ns s i nc e P r e s i d e nt Dut e r t e a nno unc e d a “wa r o n d r ug s ” i n J une 2 0 1 6 . T r ut h b e t o l d , t hi s “wa r o n d r ug s ” i s o nl y p r o d uc i ng t ho us a nd s k i l l e d wi t ho ut a ny f o r m o f a c c o unt a b i l i t y .

ALSA MAGAZINE 36

B e t we e n J a nua r y a nd A ug us t 2 0 1 8 , a t l e a s t 7 7 p e o p l e ha v e b e e n g unne d d o wn a c r o s s t he c o unt r y , i nc l ud i ng 3 1 i n t he A s i a n G a m e s ho s t c i t i e s o f g r e a t e r J a k a r t a a nd P a l e m b a ng . M a ny o f t he s e k i l l i ng s o c c ur r e d d ur i ng police o p e r a t i o ns e x p l i c i t l y d e v i s e d t o p r e p a r e t he c i t i e s f o r ho s t i ng t he m ul t i - s p o r t e v e nt . I n A ug us t 2 0 1 9 , I nd o ne s i a n p o l i c e s ho t d e a d a m e m b e r o f a P a p ua n s e p a r a t i s t g r o up d ur i ng a n e x c ha ng e o f f i r e . I n A p r i l 2 0 2 0 , I nd o ne s i a n s e c ur i t y f o r c e s o n W e d ne s d a y s ho t a nd k i l l e d t wo a l l e g e d m e m b e r s o f a n I s l a m i c m i l i t a nt g r o up s us p e c t e d o f i nv o l v e m e nt i n a n a t t a c k o n a p o l i c e m a n i n S ul a we s i e a r l i e r i n t he d a y . I n De c e m b e r 2 0 2 0 , s i x f o l l o we r s o f t he d i v i s i v e I nd o ne s i a n c l e r i c R i z i e q S hi ha b we r e s ho t a nd k i l l e d b y t he p o l i c e o n t he o ut s k i r t s o f J a k a r t a .

N o t t o m e nt i o n t ha t t he p o l i c e i n I nd o ne s i a r o ut i ne l y us e e x c e s s i v e f o r c e i nc l ud i ng f i r e a r m s t o q ue l l p r o t e s t s . I n 2 0 1 9 , m a s s i v e s t ud e nt p r o t e s t s t o o k p l a c e i n a l m o s t a l l c i t i e s i n I nd o ne s i a t o rally a g a i ns t ne w legislation t ha t r e d uc e s t he a ut ho r i t y o f t he C o r r up t i o n E r a d i c a t i o n C o m m i s s i o n ( K P K ) , a s we l l a s t he c r i m i na l c o d e d r a f t t ha t wo ul d o ut l a w e x t r a m a r i t a l s e x . A d d i t i o na l l y , i n a l m o s t e v e r y c i t y , t he s t ud e nt s c l a s h wi t h t he p o l i c e . T he A l j a z e e r a N e ws r e p o r t e d t ha t a t l e a s t 2 6 5 s t ud e nt s we r e t r e a t e d i n s e v e r a l ho s p i t a l s i n t he c o unt r y ’s c a p i t a l , wi t h t he i r i nj ur i e s r a ng i ng f r o m m i no r t o s e r i o us i n t he 2 0 1 9 I nd o ne s i a s t ud e nt s p r o t e s t . V i d e o s o f p o l i c e b e a t i ng s t ud e nt s we r e a l l o v e r social media.

I t i s d e e pl y w o r r yi ng t h at e v en s t u d e nt s e n c o m pa s s i ng t he y o u n g er g e n e r at io n, a re t a r g et e d b y t he a ut h o ri t ie s . W e a l l k n ow t he l a ck o f t r u st i n p ol i c e i s n ot o nl y a t tr i b ut e d t o b r ut a l i ty . I n 2 0 2 0 , a p ol i c e o f f i c er in I n d o n e si a ’s West K a l i m a nt a n c a pi ta l o f P o nt i a n ak w as n a m ed a s a s u s p e ct f o r a l l e g e dl y r a pi ng a f e m al e t e e n ag er he h ad p r e vi o u sl y t ic k et e d for a t r af f i c v i o l a t io n. W h at i s m o re s h o c ki ng i s a n i n ci d e nt i n 2 0 2 1 , w h e re a p ol i c e o f f i c er r a p ed a 1 6 y e a rs o l d g i r l i n t he p ol i c e o f f i c e. T h i s i s o b vi o u sl y n ot w h at we e x p e ct f r om t he p ol i c e. t he v e ry a ut h o ri t ie s m e a nt to s a f e g u ar d a c o m m u ni ty . M o r e o v e r, t he p r a ct ic e a m o ng p ol i c e o f f i c e rs o f s e e ki ng b ri b es i s a l s o v e ry c o m m on i n I n d o n e si a .

W i t h a l l t hi s p o l i c e b r ut a l i t y , who ’s f a ul t is it t ha t t he I nd o ne s i a ns a r e l o s i ng t he i r t r us t i n t he p o l i c e ? S o f a r , p ub l i c d i s t r us t o f p o l i c e ha s b e e n e x p l a i ne d i n terms of l o ng s t a nd i ng hi s t o r i c a l r e l a t i o ns hi p s , f unc t i o ns a nd g r o up c ha r a c t e r i s t i c s .

T r us t , t hr o ug h its p r e s e nc e o r a b s e nc e , i s i nna t e l y l i nk e d t o f e e l i ng s o f e x i s t e nt i a l s a f e t y . T r us t i s a l s o e l us i v e i n s i t ua t i o ns whe r e t he p o l i c e a r e d i r e c t e d o r c ho o s e t o e nf o r c e l a ws t ha t l a c k b r o a d p ub l i c s up p o r t . I n c o nc l us i o n, t he p ub l i c t r us t i n t he i ns t i t ut i o ns t ha t m a k e up t he s t a t e wi l l i ne v i t a b l y b e a l l b ut wi t he r e d . T o p r e v e nt t he c o l l a p s e o f t hi s s t r uc t ur e , i t i s i nt e g r a l t ha t s t r o ng a c t i o ns b e t a k e n a g a i ns t p o l i c e b r ut a l i t y .

37 ALSA MAGAZINE

ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

WRITTEN BY: JULIA THOMAS ALSA INDIA

ALSA MAGAZINE 38

T he e nv i r o nm e nt , e nv i r o nm e nt a l c r i s i s , a nd e nv i r o nm e nt a l p r o t e c t i o n a r e t o p i c s t ha t ha v e b e e n s ub j e c t t o c o unt l e s s d i s c us s i o ns a nd d i a l o g ue s o v e r t he p a s t f e w d e c a d e s . V a r i o us p r o b l e m s s uc h a s g l o b a l wa r m i ng , p o l l ut i o n, a nd s p e c i e s e x t i nc t i o n became more a nd more r e l e v a nt a f t e r t he c e l e b r a t i o n o f t he f i r s t E a r t h Da y o n 2 2 nd A p r i l 1 9 7 0 .

T hi s d a y i s c e l e b r a t e d a s a n i nt e r na t i o na l d a y o f a wa r e ne s s d e v o t e d t o p r e s e r v i ng a nd p r o t e c t i ng o ur e nv i r o nm e nt . S i nc e t he n, num e r o us c o nf e r e nc e s , c o nv e nt i o ns , a nd p r o t o c o l s s uc h a s t he S t o c k ho l m C o nf e r e nc e , E a r t h S um m i t , a nd B a s e l C o nv e nt i o n we r e i ni t i a t e d to better p r o t e c t t he e nv i r o nm e nt . De s p i t e a l l t he s e i nt e r na t i o na l m e a s ur e s , we s t i l l ha v e a l o ng wa y t o g o i n i m p r o v i ng t he q ua l i t y o f o ur e nv i r o nm e nt .

A m i d s t a l l t hi s , t he wo r l d c ha ng e d t r e m e nd o us l y i n t he p a s t o ne a nd a ha l f y e a r s d ue t o t he no v e l c o r o na v i r us ( SA R S- CoV- 2) .

T he C O V I D- 1 9 p a nd e m i c wa s d e c l a r e d a s a g l o b a l he a l t h e m e r g e nc y b y t he World Health O r g a ni s a t i o n ( WHO) .

Dr a s t i c m e a s ur e s like q ua r a nt i ne s , l o c k d o wns , a nd r e s t r i c t i o ns t o t he f r e e m o v e m e nt o f p e o p l e we r e i m p l e m e nt e d b y c o unt r i e s a l l o v e r t he wo r l d t o t a c k l e t he v i r us . A p a r t f r o m e s s e nt i a l s e r v i c e s s uc h a s m e d i c a l , f o o d s up p l y , a nd p o l i c e f o r c e , a l l o t he r o r g a ni s a t i o ns , i ns t i t ut i o ns a nd no n- e s s e nt i a l s e r v i c e s we r e e nc o ur a g e d t o r e m a i n c l o s e d s o p e o p l e wo ul d s t a y ho m e a nd a v o i d p ub l i c g a t he r i ng s . Ye t a b o ut 4 . 2 m i l l i o n p e o p l e ha v e l o s t t he i r l i v e s s o f a r d ue t o C O V I D- 1 9 .

H um a ni t y , a s a who l e , i s s uf f e r i ng . B ut a r e we t he o nl y o ne s who a r e s uf f e r i ng ?

N O . T he p a nd e m i c ha s a f f e c t e d o ur e nv i r o nm e nt a s we l l , b o t h d i r e c t l y a nd i nd i r e c t l y i n m a ny wa y s . I t i s i m p o r t a nt t o no t e t ha t t he p a nd e m i c d o e s ha v e certain positive impacts on t he e nv i r o nm e nt . O ne m a y e v e n t hi nk t ha t i t i s he l p i ng us t o a c hi e v e t he U N 2 0 3 0 S us t a i na b l e De v e l o p m e nt G o a l s !

S i nc e m a ny b us i ne s s e s a nd f a c t o r i e s ha v e b e e n s hut d o wn, t he b ur ni ng o f f o s s i l f ue l s ha s d e c r e a s e d a nd t he e m i s s i o n o f g r e e nho us e g a s e s , ni t r o g e n d i o x i d e , a nd p a r t i c ul a t e m a t t e r ( P M 2 . 5 ) ha s d r o p p e d . S i nc e p e o p l e a r e f o r c e d t o r e m a i n ho m e , a i r p o l l ut i o n a nd no i s e p o l l ut i o n c a us e d b y v e hi c l e s ha v e a l s o decreased.

Negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the environment 1.

Increase generation

in

biomedical

waste

B i o m e d i c a l wa s t e i s d e f i ne d a s a ny wa s t e g e ne r a t e d d ur i ng t he d i a g no s i s , t r e a t m e nt , o r i m m uni z a t i o n o f hum a n b e i ng s o r a ni m a l s , o r i n t he p r o c e s s o f r e s e a r c h. I t r a ng e s f r o m c e l l s , t i s s ue s , a nd o t he r b o d y p a r t s t o ne e d l e s , s y r i ng e s , a nd discarded m e d i c i ne s .

Collection of samples from s us p e c t e d C O V I D- 1 9 p a t i e nt s , d i a g no s i s , a nd t r e a t m e nt a l l r e s ul t i n t he g e ne r a t i o n o f b i o m e d i c a l wa s t e s whi c h p o s e a m a j o r t hr e a t t o t he p ub l i c he a l t h a nd e nv i r o nm e nt . C hi na , I nd i a , a nd B a ng l a d e s h a r e e x a m p l e s o f c o unt r i e s whe r e t he r e ha s b e e n a m a s s i v e r i s e i n t he a m o unt o f ha z a r d o us m e d i c a l wa s t e s .

C i t i e s wi t h hi g h num b e r s o f C O V I D- 1 9 c a s e s a r e s t r ug g l i ng t o m a na g e t hi s s ud d e n s ur g e .

Improper disposal of t he s e wa s t e s c a us e s wa t e r , s o i l , a nd a i r p o l l ut i o n.

I n a r e c e nt s t ud y , i t ha s b e e n r e p o r t e d t ha t S A R S - C o V - 2 c a n s ur v i v e f o r o ne d a y o n c a r d b o a r d s a nd up t o t hr e e d a y s o n p l a s t i c a nd s t a i nl e s s s t e e l .

T hi s m e a ns t ha t us e d ne e d l e s , s y r i ng e s , a nd b a nd a g e s no t o nl y c a us e e nv i r o nm e nt a l p o l l ut i o n, b ut t he y a l s o a c c e l e r a t e t he s p r e a d o f f ur t he r i nf e c t i o n i f no t p r o p e r l y disposed of.

Fur t he r m o r e , t he c l o s i ng o f v a r i o us f a c t o r i e s m e a nt t ha t t he d um p i ng o f ha r m f ul c he m i c a l wa s t e s i nt o t he wa t e r also decreased s i g ni f i c a nt l y , t hus r e d uc i ng wa t e r p o l l ut i o n.

Moreover, t he r e ha s b e e n a d e c l i ne o f v i s i t o r s a t t o ur i s t d e s t i na t i o ns , whi c h wo ul d he l p t o r e s t o r e t he b a l a nc e o f t he e c o l o g i c a l s y s t e m i n t o ur i s t s p o t s s uc h a s f o r e s t s , b e a c he s , a nd hi l l a r e a s .

H o we v e r , t he s e p o s i t i v e i m p a c t s a r e o v e r s ha d o we d b y t he ne g a t i v e o ne s .

39 ALSA MAGAZINE

2. Disposal of used safety equipment P e r s o na l P r o t e c t i v e E q ui p m e nt ( P P E ) , f a c e m a s k s , a nd ha nd g l o v e s a r e wi d e l y us e d f o r p r o t e c t i o n a g a i ns t C O V I D- 1 9 a nd t o p r e v e nt t he t r a ns m i s s i o n o f t hi s v i r us . T hi s ha s l e d t o a n i nc r e a s e i n t he v o l um e o f he a l t hc a r e wa s t e s . Due t o t he l a c k o f p r o p e r a wa r e ne s s a nd k no wl e d g e , m a ny p e o p l e d um p t he s e i n o p e n p l a c e s l i k e r o a d s i d e s , s t r e e t s , l a k e s , a nd b e a c he s .

P o l y p r o p y l e ne , whi c h is a common c o ns t i t ue nt of N- 95 masks, Tyvek p r o t e c t i v e s ui t s , g l o v e s , a nd m e d i c a l f a c e s hi e l d s , r e l e a s e s t o x i c s ub s t a nc e s l i k e d i o x i n. T he p r o b l e m i s a g g r a v a t e d whe n people ha p ha z a r d l y mix t he s e wi t h ho us e ho l d wa s t e s .

S i nc e c o m p a ni e s offer free r e t ur n s e r v i c e s , c o ns um e r s p ur c ha s e t he s a m e i t e m i n d i f f e r e nt s i z e s a nd c o l o ur s . A f t e r t r y i ng o ut e a c h o ne , t he y k e e p wha t t he y l i k e a nd r e t ur n t he r e s t .

T he c l o t he s whi c h a r e r e t ur ne d a r e a l m o s t a l wa y s d i s c a r d e d i ns t e a d o f b e i ng p ut b a c k up f o r s a l e b e c a us e i t i s c he a p e r t o t hr o w t he m a wa y t ha n to sort o ut t he d a m a g e d o ne s f r o m t he g o o d o ne s whi c h c a n b e p ut up f o r s a l e a g a i n.

T he s e r e t ur ne d c l o t he s us ua l l y e nd up i n l a nd f i l l s o r a r e b ur ne d , whi c h c a us e s t he r e l e a s e o f l a r g e v o l um e s o f C O 2 . I n t he U S A , a r o und U S $ 3 0 9 b i l l i o n wo r t h o f m e r c ha nd i s e a r e r e t ur ne d a nnua l l y a nd 5 b i l l i o n l b s o f wa s t e a r e s e nt t o l a nd f i l l s whi c h r e s ul t i n t he e m i s s i o n o f 1 5 m i l l i o n t o ns o f C O 2 . M o v i ng o n t o f o o d delivery, t he us a g e of s i ng l e - us e p l a s t i c s ha s i nc r e a s e d m a ni f o l d as r e s t a ur a nt s can no w o nl y provide t a k e o ut s e r v i c e s . T hi s f ur t he r a d d s t o t he a l r e a d y e no r m o us p i l e o f p l a s t i c wa s t e s g e ne r a t e d .

4. Suspension of recycling of wastes

3. Increase in online shopping and food takeout services Due t o l o c k d o wns a nd s o c i a l d i s t a nc i ng r ul e s , o nl i ne s ho p p i ng a nd f o o d t a k e o ut s e r v i c e s ha v e g r o wn t r e m e nd o us l y d ur i ng t he p a nd e m i c .

T he r e is a common m i s c o nc e p t i o n t ha t o nl i ne s ho p p i ng i s ‘g r e e ne r t ha n p hy s i c a l or i n- s t o r e s ho p p i ng b e c a us e f ue l i s s a v e d b y c us t o m e r s no t g o i ng to t he s ho p s p e r s o na l l y . P e o p l e t e nd t o f o r g e t t ha t d e l i v e r y m e n us e t he s a m e f ue l t o r e a c h e v e r y d o o r s t e p . P e o p l e a l s o o v e r l o o k t he f a c t t ha t e a c h p r o d uc t i s o v e r a b und a nt l y wr a p p e d i n d i f f e r e nt l a y e r s o f p a c k a g i ng .

T he p l a s t i c wa s t e s g e ne r a t e d f r o m t he s e a r e e no r m o us .

A d d i t i o na l l y , p e o p l e a r e o f t e n uns a t i s f i e d wi t h t he p r o d uc t s t he y p ur c ha s e a nd he nc e , t he y r e t ur n t he s e i t e m s . C l o t hi ng i s o ne s uc h p r o d uc t wi t h hi g h r e t ur n r a t e s .

ALSA MAGAZINE 40

Proper waste management has always been a major concern to most countries around the world.

R ecycling of wastes is highly encouraged as it is one of the most effective ways to reduce pollution and conserve natural resources. Paper, cardboard, plastic, and textile are all recyclable materials.

However, ever since the pandemic started, recycling activities have stopped in many parts of the world because authorities fear the spread of the virus.

The USA is one such country in which many states have stopped their recycling programs.

In other countries like Italy, infected residents have been restricted from sorting their wastes.

Even if the authorities decide to continue recycling activities, it will never be like the pre- COVID times as now, more than ever, there is an acute shortage of labourers who work in this field.

B e l o w a r e a f e w s ug g e s t i o ns t o b e g i n t hi s f i g ht a g a i ns t t he e nv i r o nm e nt p a nd e m i c : 1) P r o p er d i s p os a l o f w as t e s a nd w as t e m a n a g e m e nt s h ou ld b e t re a t e d a s e s s e nt ia l s e r v ic es . I t s h o ul d b e d o ne e f f e ct i ve l y wi th s t r i ct a d h er e n ce to all t he C O V I D- 1 9 p r o t o c o l s a nd g ui d el i n es p r o v i d ed b y t he a ut ho r i t ie s .

2) B i o m e di ca l w as t e s s h o ul d b e c o l l e ct e d b y s p e ci a l i s e d m un ic i p al w as t e m a na g em e nt o p er a to r s a nd m us t b e d i s p os e d o f b y p r o p er a ut o cl a v i ng o r i nc in er a t io n.

5 . A r i s e i n p o a c hi n g a n d i l l e g a l deforestation M a ny wi l d l i f e s a nc tu ar i e s a nd n at io n al p ar k s w er e l e f t u n m o ni to r e d d ur i ng t he p and e mi c a nd p e o pl e t o ok a dv a nt a g e o f t hi s . T h er e h as b e en a hi k e i n p o a c hi ng a nd i l le ga l d ef o r e s t a t io n a r o u nd t he w or l d.

O ne r e as o n f o r t hi s i s t h at p e op le a r e s t r u g gl i ng t o m ak e e n ds m e et a s t he p a n d em i c h as d ep r i ve d t h em o f t h ei r j o bs a nd i n c o m e. W he n t h ey a r e l e f t wi th no o t h er o pt io n t o f e ed t h e ms e l v e s a nd t h ei r f a mi l ie s , t h ey e x p l o i t t h es e a va i l a b le r e s o ur c es . W h a t t h ey do n ot realise is t ha t t hi s i r re s p o ns i b l e b e h av i o ur wi l l e x a c e r b a te t he n e g at i ve e f f e c ts on wi l d l i fe e c o s y s t e ms a nd t he e nv i ro nm e nt w hi c h wi l l a f f e ct e v e r y o n e. T e c h n ol o gy c a n b e us e d t o m o ni to r s uc h i l l ic i t a ct i v i t ie s b ut t h at a lo ne c a n no t b e t he s o l ut io n t o t hi s p r o bl e m .

Solutions W h at we are f a c ing n ow can be d es c r i b ed a s a n ‘e nv i ro n me nt p and e mi c ’ o r a n ‘e nv i ro n m e nt wa r ’. W e m us t f i nd e f f e ct i ve s o l ut io ns t o t hi s i s s ue t o s a v e o ur s e l v e s , o ur f a mi l y, o ur n at io n, a nd M ot h er E a r th.

P e o pl e m us t r e a l i s e t h at t he d ec re as e i n G H Gs , N O 2 , a nd P M 2 . 5 , a nd o t h er p os i t i ve i m p a ct s l i ke t he i m pr o v e d q u al i ty o f a i r a nd w at e r a r e o n ly t e mp o r a ry b ec a us e o n ce t he p a n d e mi c e nd s , n or m al l i f e wi l l r e s u m e, a nd we wi l l b e b a ck t o g r o u nd z e r o . H e nc e , we n e ed t o t a k e i m m e di a t e m e as ur e s t o s o l v e t he e nv i ro n m e nt a l p r o bl e ms t h at h av e a r i s e n d ur i ng t he p a nd e mi c .

3) S t r ic t r ul e s s h o ul d b e e nf o r ce d t o s t o p p e op le f r o m d i s c a rd i ng us e d m as k s a nd g l o v e s i n p ub l ic p l a c e s .

4) P e o pl e s h o ul d b e e d u c at e d on t he i m p o r ta n ce o f w as t e s e gr e ga t io n a t h o m e.

5) T he e - c o m m er c e i n d us t r y s h o ul d u s e e nv i ro n m ent a l l y f r i e n dl y m a t e r i a l s f o r t he p ac k i ng o f i ts p r o d u ct s . E l e ct r ic v e hi c le s s h o ul d b e us e d f o r d el i ve r y p ur po s e s .

6) P e op le s h o ul d b e e nc o ur a g ed t o m i ni m i s e t he us e o f p l a s t i c s a s f a r a s p os s i b l e a nd s hi f t t o g r e e n a nd b l ue e c o n o mi e s .

7) G o v e r n m e nt s s h ou ld p r o v i de l o c k d o wn a l l o w a nc e s a nd f r e e f o od s u p pl i e s t o p e op le l i v ing i n v i l la g e s n e ar f o r e s t a r e as w ho l o s t t h ei r j o bs d ur i ng t he p a nd e mi c t o p r e v e nt p o a ch ing a nd i l le g al d ef o r e s t a t io n.

8) L o n g- t e r m s t r u ct ur a l m e as ur e s s h o ul d b e t a k en to r e d u ce air, w at e r , a nd s o i l p ol l ut io n.

T he C O V I D- 1 9 p a n d e mi c i s a m aj o r t hr e a t t o o ur e nv i ro n m e nt .

T he n e g at i ve i m p ac ts o f t he p and em i c s h o ul d b e t a k e n s e r i o us l y b ef o r e t hi n gs g et o ut o f c o nt ro l . A c o m bi ne d effort from t he g ov e r n me nt , l o c al a ut ho r i t ie s , e - c o m m er c e c o mp a ni e s , a nd c o m m on p e o pl e i s e s s e nt ia l t o o v e r co me t hi s e nv i ro n m e nt p a n d e mi c . I f we s t a nd a nd f i g ht t o g et h er , we c a n s a v e h u m a ni ty f r o m b ot h t he C O V I D- 1 9 p a n d e mi c a nd t he e nv i ro n m e nt a l p a n d e mi c .

41 ALSA MAGAZINE

The Philippines' Environment amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic WRITTEN BY : ENGR. RUSSEL RENZ R. GARCIA ALSA PHILIPPINES W hi l e t he r i g ht t o a b a l a nc e d a nd he a l t hf ul e c o l o g y i s t o b e f o und und e r t he De c l a r a t i o n o f P r i nc i p l e s a nd S t a t e P o l i c i e s a nd no t und e r t he B i l l o f R i g ht s , i t d o e s no t f o l l o w t ha t i t i s l e s s i m p o r t a nt t ha n a ny o f t he c i v i l a nd p o l i t i c a l r i g ht s e num e r a t e d i n t he l a t t e r .

I n f a c t , i f a l l t ha t i s l e f t i s b a r r e n l a nd a nd p o l l ut e d a i r a nd wa t e r , l i f e m a y no t s ur v i v e , a nd hum a n r i g ht s c e a s e t o e x i s t .

T he 1987 P hi l i p p i ne C o ns t i t ut i o n s t i p ul a t e s t ha t “t he S t a t e s ha l l p r o t e c t a nd a d v a nc e t he r i g ht o f t he p e o p l e t o a b a l a nc e d a nd he a l t hf ul ecology in a c c o r d wi t h t he r hy t hm a nd ha r m o ny o f na t ur e . ” I n 2 0 0 1 , t he E c o l o g i c a l S o l i d W a s t e M a na g e m e nt A c t o f 2 0 0 0 t o o k e f f e c t t o “e ns ur e t he p r o t e c t i o n o f p ub l i c he a l t h a nd t he e nv i r o nm e nt . ” De c a d e s ha v e p a s s e d y e t m a ny s a l i e nt f e a t ur e s o f t he l a w a r e a l m o s t i m p e r c e p t i b l e .

T he i nd i v i d ua l a nd , a t t i m e s , c o nf l i c t i ng , d e m a nd s of p o p ul a t i o n g r o wt h, ur b a ni z a t i o n, i nd us t r i a l e x p a ns i o n, r a p i d na t ur a l r e s o ur c e s ut i l i z a t i o n a nd i nc r e a s i ng t e c hno l o g i c a l a d v a nc e s ha v e r e s ul t e d in a piecemeal- approach c o nc e p t o f e nv i r o nm e nt a l p r o t e c t i o n. A s a d e v e l o p i ng c o unt r y , l a ws on e nv i r o nm e nt a l protection a nd c o ns e r v a t i o n play a vital role in e c o no m i c d e v e l o p m e nt .

ALSA MAGAZINE 42

S o l i d wa s t e m a na g e m e nt , e s p e c i a l l y wa s t e s e g r e g a t i o n, ha s been a c o ns t a nt p r o b l e m i n t he P hi l i p p i ne s .

T he N a t i o na l Solid Waste M a na g e m e nt C o unc i l c a l c ul a t e d t ha t f r o m 3 7 , 4 2 7 . 4 6 t o ns p e r d a y i n 2 0 1 2 , t he c o unt r y ’s wa s t e g e ne r a t i o n s t e a d i l y i nc r e a s e d t o 4 0 , 0 8 7 . 4 5 t o ns i n 2 0 1 6 wi t h a n e s t i m a t e d a v e r a g e p e r c a p i t a wa s t e g e ne r a t i o n o f 0 . 4 0 k i l o g r a m s p e r d a y f o r b o t h ur b a n a nd r ur a l . I n r e t ur n, s a ni t a r y l a nd f i l l s a r e no t o p t i m i z e d a nd a r e f i l l e d e a r l i e r t ha n e x p e c t e d . T hus , f o r c i ng l o c a l g o v e r nm e nt uni t s t o d i g a nd b ui l d ne w l a nd f i l l s .

T he De p a r t m e nt o f E nv i r o nm e nt a nd N a t ur a l R e s o ur c e s d i s c l o s e d i n a n A p r i l 2 0 2 1 ne ws r e p o r t t ha t “a r o und 5 2 , 0 0 0 m e t r i c t o ns o f ho s p i t a l wa s t e ha v e s o f a r b e e n g e ne r a t e d a m i d t he he a l t h c r i s i s . ” T hi s f i g ur e c o nt i nue s t o r i s e a s t he c o unt r y t r e a d s i n a p a nd e m i c - i nf l i c t e d s o c i e t y whe r e t he we a r i ng o f m e d i c a l f a c e m a s k s i n p ub l i c i s m a nd a t o r y . S o l ut i o ns t o t he p a nd e m i c a r e e x p e c t e d t o g e ne r a t e wa s t e ; f r o m t he t r e a t m e nt o f C O V I D19- affected p a t i e nt s to t he v a c c i na t i o n of t he c i t i z e ns for i m m uni t y .

S i n ce t he s t r i k e o f C O V I D - 1 9 v i r us i n 2020 , t he E n vi r o n m e nt a l M a n a g e m e nt B u r e au i s s u ed t h r ee M e m o r a n d um C i r c ul a r a nd s e v e r al a d vi s o r i e s t o a d dr e s s t he p r o p er a nd c o nt in u o us t r e at m e nt a nd d i s p o s al of h e al th c a re w a st e s .

C u r r e nt ly , t h e re a re 2 5 r e gi s t e r ed f a ci l i t ie s t h at t r e at a nd d i s p o s e o f h e al th c a re w a st e p r o p e rl y . H o w e v e r, i t c an b e o b s e r v ed t h at s e g r e g at io n o f s o l i d a nd h a z a r d o us w a st e i s g e n e r al l y n ot p r a ct ic e d.

In c o n cl u s i o n, t he g o v e r n m e nt , p ri v at e s e ct o r a nd e v e ry c i t iz en m u s t w o rk t o g et h er i n s o l v i ng t he p r o bl e ms o f p ol l ut io n. L a ws m u st b e i m pl e m e nt e d a nd o b s e r v ed p r o p e rl y . W i th t he r e al i ty o f t he p a n d e mi c w hi c h m a y n ot e nd s o o n, p r o p er m a n a g e m e nt o f w a st e wi l l h el p m i t ig at e t he s p r e ad o f t he v i r us a nd o t h er d i s e as e s . A f t e r a l l , t he r i g ht t o a b al a n c ed a nd h e al thf ul e c ol o gy i s a b a s i c h u m an r i g ht .

43 ALSA MAGAZINE

RESPECT OTHERS = RESPECT YOURSELF WRITTEN BY: VILAYSONE VANNASI, ALSA LAOS

In compilation of international conventions of human rights: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in the spirit of brotherhood.

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms. Such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other option, national or social origin, property, birth of other status.

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person, all are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law.

ALSA MAGAZINE 44

Human rights are the most fundamental and important of rights, some of human rights include: - The right to life - The right to liberty and freedom - The right to the pursuit of happiness - The right to live your life free of discrimination - The right to control what happens to your own body and to make medical decisions for yourself - The right to freely exercise your religion and practice your religious beliefs without fear of being prosecuted for your belief- The right to be free from prejudice on the basis of race, gender, national origin, color, age or sex

- The right to privacy is a fundamental right that many countries in the world value and pay close attention to. The right of privacy includes: the right to life, the right to physical and mental health, liberty, dignity, privacy and other personal interests of the individual .

- The right to privacy is a fundamental human right that everyone wants to own in every state including Laos. Society shall note the importance of speaking with initiation in terms of greeting to new people, instead of talking about someone's privacy it is better to be skeptical on things that makes a person think creatively. Nowadays, social media is like the virtual home of every individual where it is easily accessible to anyone who wants to comment or post and share anything.

However, although the freedom of expression is implemented easily today but to an extent the society should acknowledge the words and post you will comment on for sensitivity is still there in the social media world. someone else’s area.

Everyone has the right to think, to speak truthfully or according to their own opinion as long it does not hurt others intentionally.

Conducting oneself according to the rights of oneself and others in society it’s something that helps organize a peaceful society. The guideline are as follows: - Respect each other’s rights without violating the rights and freedoms of others. It can be expressed in many ways by expressing opinions and accepting the opinions of others.

- Know your own rights and encourage others to be more aware of their rights.

- Learn and understand the principles of rights and liberties.

We could all be equal only if our society knows the true definition of what ‘respect’ is.

45 ALSA MAGAZINE

Legal Affairs

Body-worn Cameras: A Tool Towards Police Accountability in the Philippines WRITTEN BY : DIANNE POGOSA ALSA PHILIPPINES O ne o f t he a l a r m i ng i s s ue s i n t he P hi l i p p i ne s e v e n b e f o r e t he C O V I D- 1 9 p a nd e m i c is t he series of k i l l i ng s a t t r i b ut e d t o p o l i c e o f f i c e r s . V a r i o us hum a n r i g ht s o r g a ni z a t i o ns a nd a c t i v i s t s ha v e c o nd e m ne d t he s y s t e m i c p o l i c e v i o l e nc e t ha t ha s b e c o m e t he no r m und e r t he c ur r e nt a d m i ni s t r a t i o n’s “wa r o n d r ug s ” c a m p a i g n. A c c o r d i ng t o a r e p o r t r e l e a s e d i n J une 2 0 2 0 b y t he U ni t e d N a t i o ns H i g h C o m m i s s i o ne r f o r H um a n R i g ht s , a t l e a s t 8 , 6 6 3 i nd i v i d ua l s ha v e b e e n k i l l e d s i nc e t he g o v e r nm e nt b e g a n i t s a nt i - d r ug c a m p a i g n i n 2 0 1 6 .

A s a r e s p o ns e t o t he i nc r e a s i ng num b e r o f p o l i c e - r e l a t e d k i l l i ng s , t he S up r e m e C o ur t of t he P hi l i p p i ne s i s s ue d a r e s o l ut i o n r e g a r d i ng R ul e s o n t he U s e o f B o d y - W o r n C a m e r a s i n t he E x e c ut i o n o f W a r r a nt s ( A . M . N o . 2 1 - 0 6 - 0 8 - S C ) o n J une 2 9 , 2 0 2 1 . T he r e s o l ut i o n e s t a b l i s he s a f r a m e wo r k for us i ng b o d y - wo r n c a m e r a s t o a s s i s t p o l i c e o f f i c e r s wi t h t he r e q ui r e m e nt s o f a r r e s t , s e a r c h, a nd s e i z ur e wa r r a nt a p p l i c a t i o ns .

T he g ui d e l i ne s a l s o i nc l ud e r e s t r i c t i o ns t ha t j ud g e s m us t i m p o s e whe n g r a nt i ng wa r r a nt p e t i t i o ns a nd whi c h p o l i c e o f f i c e r s m us t f o l l o w.

A c c o r d i ng t o t he r e s o l ut i o n, m e m b e r s o f t he a r r e s t i ng t e a m m us t we a r a t l e a s t o ne b o d y - wo r n camera a nd o ne a l t e r na t e d e v i c e , o r a s m a ny a s a r e ne c e s s a r y t o c a p t ur e a nd r e c o r d a c t ua l o c c ur r e nc e s t hr o ug ho ut t he e x e c ut i o n o f t he wa r r a nt . O f f i c e r s who ha v e s uc h c a m e r a s m us t a l s o m a k e s ur e t ha t t he y a r e wo r n i n a v i s i b l e p o s i t i o n a nd i n a wa y t ha t o p t i m i z e s t he i r p o t e nt i a l t o r e c o r d t he a r r e s t .

ALSA MAGAZINE 48

If a b o d y - wo r n camera is no t a c c e s s i b l e , t he p o l i c e m us t ut i l i z e a t l e a s t t wo a l t e r na t i v e r e c o r d i ng d e v i c e s wi t h t he c o ur t ’s c o ns e nt . A c c o r d i ng t o t he S up r e m e C o ur t , t he r e c o r d i ng s m us t b e p r e s e r v e d o n e x t e r na l m e d i a a nd d e l i v e r e d i n a s e a l e d p a c k a g e wi t h t he i s s ui ng c o ur t . T he r e c o r d i ng s wi l l b e a c c o m p a ni e d b y a n a f f i d a v i t o ut l i ni ng t he e v e nt s s ur r o und i ng t he e x e c ut i o n o f t he a r r e s t o r s e a r c h wa r r a nt s . L a w e nf o r c e m e nt o f f i c e r s who v i o l a t e t he r e g ul a t i o ns wi t ho ut r e a s o na b l e g r o und s m a y f a c e c o nt e m p t c ha r g e s .

A l t ho ug h t he S up r e m e C o ur t r e s o l ut i o n wi l l no t i m m e d i a t e l y e r a d i c a t e p o l i c e a b us e s , t hi s wi l l he l p t he P hi l i p p i ne police become t r a ns p a r e nt d ur i ng v a r i o us p o l i c e o p e r a t i o ns . H o p e f ul l y , t hi s wi l l s e r v e a s a n e f f i c i e nt m e c ha ni s m t o e ns ur e t he p e o p l e ’s r i g ht t o l i f e , r i g ht a g a i ns t unr e a s o na b l e s e a r c he s a nd s e i z ur e s , a nd r i g ht t o d ue p r o c e s s .

Police Brutality: "Police Everywhere, Injustice Everywhere."

WRITTEN BY : MUHD NASMI BIN ABDULLAH NASAR ALSA BRUNEI

P o l i c e b r ut a l i t y i nv o l v e s t he us e o f e x c e s s i v e v i o l e nc e c o m m i t t e d b y p o l i c e t he m s e l v e s b e y o nd t he i r a ut ho r i t y . T hi s p he no m e no n ha d o c c ur r e d t hr o ug ho ut t he p o l i c e hi s t o r y , m o s t l y i n p o p ul a t i o ns , e s p e c i a l l y t he p o o r , m i no r i t i e s e t c , d ue t o t he unr e a s o na b l e f o r c e us e d i n t he o b j e c t i v e v i e w, t ho ug h i t wa s i nt e nd e d s ub j e c t i v e l y r e a s o na b l e .

I n t he l e g a l a p p r o a c h, p o l i c e b r ut a l i t y i s o f t e n a s s o c i a t e d wi t h t he i s s ue o f q ua l i f i e d i m m uni t y s e t f o r t h b y t he c o ur t s . Q ua l i f i e d i m m uni t y i s a l e g a l d o c t r i ne t ha t e x c l ud e s g o v e r nm e nt o f f i c i a l s f r o m l i a b i l i t i e s d ue t o t he i r a c t i o ns , p r o v i d i ng t ha t t he y m us t a c t i n g o o d f a i t h a nd r e a s o na b l y b e l i e v e t ha t t he i r c o nd uc t i s l e g a l . H o we v e r , i t i s d i f f i c ul t t o i d e nt i f y whe t he r t he f o r c e us e d b y t he p o l i c e wa s r e a s o na b l e i n o b j e c t i v e v i e w, a s t he c o ur t m a y o b s e r v e t he p o l i c e ' s c o nd uc t , a l b e i t b r ut a l , a s o f r e a s o na b l e us e o f f o r c e a nd s uc h c o nd uc t i s l e g a l . T hus t hi s b l a nk e t o f i m m uni t y r e m a i ns an i s s ue of c o nt r o v e r s y i nv o l v i ng p o l i c e b r ut a l i t y .

S uc h b r ut a l i t y m a y a l s o a d v e r s e l y a f f e c t t he p ub l i c he a l t h o f t he c o m m uni t y . A s police b r ut a l i t y may arise d ue to p e r s o na l biases, s uc h as racism, m i no r i t y etc, t he s e e l e m e nt s wi l l r e p r e s e nt t he s y m b o l o f i nj us t i c e i n t he p o l i c e i n t he p ub l i c ' s v i e w, s i nc e t he y a r e s up p o s e d l y t he c a r r i e r s o f j us t i c e o n b e ha l f o f t he s o v e r e i g n. T hi s wi l l g r e a t l y r e d uc e t he p ub l i c ' s t r us t t o t he p o l i c e , c o ns t i t ut i ng c o ns t a nt fear a nd s ub s e q ue nt l y l e a d t o p ub l i c d i s o r d e r o f t he c o m m uni t y .

T hus i t i s ne c e s s a r y t o t a k e m e a s ur e s t o d e t e r a ny p o s s i b i l i t i e s o f p o l i c e b r ut a l i t y t o e ns ur e t he t r us t o f t he p o l i c e a nd p e a c e o f t he na t i o n.

P r e v i o us l y , o n J une 2 3 r d , 2 0 1 6 , t he r e we r e f o ur o f f i c e r s t r i e d f o r a l l e g e d l y c o m m i t t i ng p o l i c e b r ut a l i t y o n t he arrestee at B r une i R esearch De p a r t m e nt o n M a r c h 1 4 , 2 0 1 6 . Ye t r e c e nt l y , a c c o r d i ng t o t he B r une i 2 0 2 0 H um a n R i g ht s R e p o r t , t he r e we r e no a l l e g a t i o ns o f hum a n r i g ht s a b us e s b y t he g o v e r nm e nt o f f i c i a l s r e p o r t e d , no r c o nc e r ni ng o f f i c i a l i m p uni t y . I t a l s o s t a t e d t ha t t he r e a r e no r e p o r t s t ha t t he g o v e r nm e nt officials ha d c o m m i t t e d a r b i t r a r y o r i l l e g a l k i l l i ng s , no r c o m m i t t i ng a ny v i o l a t i o ns o f l a w.

49 ALSA MAGAZINE

POLICE BRUTALITY IN INDONESIA: HOW TO STOP IT? Written By : Alifia Aisya Hikma ALSA Indonesia

ALSA MAGAZINE 50

T he police as law enf orcement of f icers play an important role in maintaining the s ecurity and welf are of the community f rom various violations of the law and s o on.

However, in Indones ia police brutality is nothing new. Police brutality is when the police us e exces s ive f orce agains t the public, either intentionally or unintentio- nally.

T his of cours e injures the duties and f unctions as law enf orcement of f icers .

T he C ommis s ion f or Dis appeared and V ictims of V iolence recorded as many as 6 5 1 cas es of violence perpetrated by police of f icers in Indones ia in 2 0 1 9 and as many as 6 5 1 cas es f rom J une 2 0 2 0 to May 2 0 2 1 . In Law Number 2 of 2 0 0 2 in A rticle 4 has emphas ized that the National Police of the R epublic of Indones ia aims to realize internal s ecurity which includes the maintenance of s ecurity and public order and the es tablis hment of public peace by upholding human rights .

However, this s till cannot guarantee the s af ety of the community, es pecially the perpetrators are law enf orcement of f icers thems elves .

A lthough not inf requently the community is als o brutal, es pecially during demons trations , exces s ive violence agains t the community cannot be jus tif ied. T his is als o regulated in A rticle 1 0 of the R egulation of the Head of the Indones ian National Police No. 8 of 2 0 0 9 concerning the Implementation of Human R ights Principles and Standards in Perf orming the Duties of the Indones ian National Police which explains that the police mus t not us e violence unles s neces s ary to prevent crime and as s is t in the arres t of lawbreakers or s us pects in accordance with the regulations on the us e of f orce. Police brutality is a very s erious problem and mus t be s topped, the repeated violence agains t the community without any appropriate s anctions given to the police concerned makes one of the contents of the Indones ian cons titution, namely equality bef ore the law, need to be ques tioned.

In this cas e, the role of the government and police s upervis ors is very neces s ary to review and ens ure that all police and other law enf orcement of f icers in Indones ia have a clear unders tanding of human rights and realize that their main tas k and f unction is to maintain public s ecurity, not the other way around. T he government mus t res pond f irmly to this matter s o that s imilar incidents do not repeat again becaus e actually the police are tas ked with creating a s af e s pace, protecting and s erving the community without unneces s ary violence.

51 ALSA MAGAZINE

Military Brutality in Myanmar WRITTEN BY : PHOO NGONE KYAW (ASTER) ALSA MYANMAR T he f ut ur e o f y o ut hs , e c o no m y , e d uc a t i o n, a nd e v e r y t hi ng in M y a nm a r fell i nt o d a r k ne s s . I t m a d e t he wo r l d q ue s t i o n wha t ha d ha p p e ne d i n M y a nm a r o n Fe b r ua r y 1 s t , 2021.

A f t e r t he d a r k , g l o o m y ni g ht r o l l s i n, a s hi ny m o r ni ng r i s e s . T he c i v i l i a ns b e l i e v e d t ha t t he ne x t m o r ni ng wo ul d b e j us t a no t he r o r d i na r y o ne , b ut i t wa s no t . T he m i l i t a r y ( “T a t m a d a w”) arrested a nd d e t a i ne d s e v e r a l o f o ur l e a d e r s . T he d e t a i ne e s we r e A ung S a n S uu K y i , P r e s i d e nt U W i n M y i nt , a nd o t he r s o f he r g o v e r ni ng p a r t y - t he N a t i o na l L e a g ue f o r De m o c r a c y ( “N L D”) .

T he m i l i t a r y r e g i m e s e i z e d p o we r a nd d e c l a r e d a y e a r - l o ng s t a t e o f e m e r g e nc y .

Yo u m i g ht b e wo nd e r i ng why t he c o up ha p p e ne d . T he m i l i t a r y d i s p ut e d t he r e s ul t s o f t he 2 0 2 0 p a r l i a m e nt a r y e l e c t i o ns . I n N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 9 , t he N L D p a r t y ( l e d b y A ung S a n S uu K y i ) , t he d a ug ht e r o f M y a nm a r ' s i nd e p e nd e nc e he r o G e ne r a l A ung S a n, wo n 8 2 % o f t he p a r l i a m e nt a r y s e a t s . H o we v e r , t he m i l i t a r y j unt a l e a d e r , S e ni o r G e ne r a l M i n A ung H l a i ng , s t a t e s t ha t t he r e wa s a n e l e m e nt o f f r a ud wi t hi n t he v o t i ng p r o c e s s .

An i nd e p e nd e nt election m o ni t o r i ng o r g a ni z a t i o n t he n clarified t ha t t he e l e c t i o n' s r e s ul t s we r e r e p r e s e nt a t i v e o f t he wi l l o f t he p e o p l e , t he r e f o r e r e j e c t i ng t he m i l i t a r y ' s a l l e g a t i o ns o f m a s s i v e f r a ud t ha t s e r v e d a s i t s r e a s o n f o r s e i z i ng p o we r .

M y a nm a r g o t i t s i nd e p e nd e nc e f r o m B r i t i s h r ul e o n J a nua r y 4 t h, 1 9 4 8 . S i nc e t he n, t he c o unt r y ' s v a r i o us political a nd e t hni c f a c t i o ns ha v e b e e n l o c k e d i n o ne o f t he wo r l d ' s l o ng e s t - r unni ng o ng o i ng c i v i l wa r s .

T he m i l i t a r y ha s f a c e d e t hni c r e v o l ut i o n, e s p e c i a l l y i n K a c hi n, K a y i n, K a y a h, a nd S ha n s t a t e s . P e o p l e i n M y a nm a r we r e p ut t hr o ug h a l m o s t 5 0 y e a r s o f m i l i t a r y r ul e .

ALSA MAGAZINE 52

A f t e r t he c o up d ' é t a t o n Fe b r ua r y 1 s t , 2021, hund r e d s a nd t ho us a nd s of p e o p l e , i nc l ud i ng uni v e r s i t y s t ud e nt s , t e a c he r s , d o c t o r s , l a wy e r s , m o nk s , a nd c o m m o n p e o p l e , m a r c he d i n p r o t e s t s , c o m m o nl y k no wn as t he S p r i ng R e v o l ut i o n, a g a i ns t t he c o up a nd t he i r p o l i c y o f o p p r e s s i o n. P r o - d e m o c r a c y d e m o ns t r a t o r s d e m a nd t ha t t he e l e c t e d l e a d e r s b e r e l e a s e d a nd r e s t o r e d t o p o we r . I t b e c a m e a p o p ul a r r e v o l ut i o n c a l l e d f o r f r e e d o m a nd d e m o c r a c y . A l l wi r e l e s s i nt e r ne t s e r v i c e s ha d b e e n c ut b y t he m i l i t a r y a nd s e c ur i t y f o r c e s us e d wa t e r c a nno ns , r ub b e r b ul l e t s , a nd l i v e a m m uni t i o n t o t r y t o s c a t t e r p r o t e s t e r s .

A c c o r d i ng t o t he A s s i s t a nc e A s s o c i a t i o n f o r P o l i t i c a l P r i s o ne r s ( “A A P P ”) , 9 1 4 p e o p l e ha v e b e e n k i l l e d a nd 6 , 7 8 6 a r r e s t e d b y t he j unt a c o up . N o ne t he l e s s , p r o t e s t e r s a r e s t i l l d e m o ns t r a t i ng a nd no b o d y c a n s t o p t he m t o c a l l f o r i nt e r na t i o na l he l p f o r M y a nm a r .

T a t m a d a w b e g a n a m a j o r c r a c k d o wn o n t he R o hi ng y a c a s e a nd ha s c o m m i t t e d wa r crimes a nd crimes a g a i ns t hum a ni t y t ha t i nc l ud e b ur ni ng ho m e s , k i l l i ng c hi l d r e n, a nd r a p i ng wo m e n s i nc e 2 0 1 6 . W e ne e d t o s t o p t he s e i nhum a ne a c t i o ns . T he i nt e r na t i o na l c o m m uni t y i s ur g e d t o t a k e a c t i o n a g a i ns t t he m i l i t a r y c o up in M y a nm a r , r e s t o r i ng t he d e m o c r a t i c a l l y e l e c t e d g o v e r nm e nt a nd r e s p e c t i ng hum a n r i g ht s . A S E A N i s a l s o und e r p r e s s ur e t o c o nd e m n t he m i l i t a r y c o up a nd r e c o g ni z e t he elected g o v e r nm e nt . O nl y j us t i c e c a n b r e a k t hi s v i o l e nc e . B o y c o t t e v e r y t hi ng t ha t i s p r o d uc e d d i r e c t l y o r i nd i r e c t l y b y t he m i l i t a r y . T he r e a r e s o m a ny p e o p l e i n M y a nm a r who c a n' t s l e e p s a f e l y e v e r y ni g ht . W e m us t s t o p d i c t a t o r s hi p a nd b r ut a l i t y e v e r y whe r e .

There are so many people in Myanmar who can't sleep safely every night. We must stop dictatorship and brutality everywhere.

REMAIN SILENT: HOW RACISM BECOME A NEVER-ENDING SAGA WRITTEN BY : WINDA CLAUDIA ALSA INDONESIA

I n r e c e nt d e c a d e s , r a c i s m ha s b e c o m e a m a j o r i s s ue a nd c ha l l e ng e f o r m o s t c o unt r i e s in t he wo r l d , i nc l ud i ng I nd o ne s i a . A s a m ul t i c ul t ur a l c o unt r y , racism often o c c ur s in I nd o ne s i a n society in v a r i o us fields s uc h as e d uc a t i o n, s o c i a l l i f e a nd o t he r s . 1 I n g e ne r a l , r a c i s m c a n b e d e f i ne d i nt e r a l i a a s a n a t t a c k o n a t t i t ud e s , t e nd e nc i e s , s t a t e m e nt s , a nd a c t i o ns t ha t f a v o r o r o p p o s e c o m m uni t y g r o up s b e c a us e o f r a c i a l i d e nt i t y . J a k a r t a S t a t e U ni v e r s i t y ( UNJ ) Sociologist, R o b e r t us R obert s t a t e d t ha t R a c i s m i n I nd o ne s i a i s i nd e e d r e l a t e d t o t he c o l o ni z a t i o n o f E ur o p e a ns i n t he A r c hi p e l a g o . T ha t i s why r a c i s m i n I nd o ne s i a i s no t o nl y a m a t t e r o f i nt e r - r a c i a l i nt e r a c t i o ns , b ut ha s hi s t o r i c a l l y b e e n e m b e d d e d i n t he s t r uc t ur e o f i m p e r i a l i s m .

T he r e a r e m a ny c a s e s o f r a c i s m t ha t ha v e o c c ur r e d i n I nd o ne s i a n s o c i e t y s o f a r , b ut r a r e l y g e t c o nc e r n f r o m b o t h t he g o v e r nm e nt a nd t he who l e c o m m uni t y . 3 Fo r example, t he case of P a p ua n s t ud e nt s i n S ur a b a y a who we r e r i d i c ul e d a s " m o nk e y s " . T ha t c a s e b e c a m e o ne o f t he c a s e s t ha t wa s e x p o s e d a m o ng t ho us a nd s o f o t he r t ha t we r e no t f ul l y no t i c e d . I r o ni c a l l y i t wa s c a us e d b y no t hi ng b ut s i l e nc e . V i c t i m s o f r a c i s m r e m a i n s i l e nt b e c a us e t he i r p o s i t i o n a s a m i no r i t y , a nd t he m a j o r i t y r e m a i n s i l e nt b e c a us e t he y f e e l t he y ha v e d o ne no t hi ng wr o ng . 4 T hi s r e a s o ni ng , ho we v e r o v e r l o o k s t he f a c t t ha t s i l e nc e i s no t a n o p t i o n y e t t he r o o t o f t he p r o b l e m .

ALSA MAGAZINE 54

T he r e a r e m a ny ha v e , up unt i l t hi s p o i nt , performed a collective play- act of i g no r a nc e b y s up p o r t i ng t he v i c t i m s o n t he i r m e d i a p l a t f o r m s , b ut a t t he s a m e t i m e s t a y i ng s i l e nt whe n i t c o m e s t o p hy s i c a l l y s p e a k i ng o ut a g a i ns t r a c i a l d i s c r i m i na t i o n.

M a ny ha v e avoided t he une a s e a nd e m b a r r a s s m e nt of l o o k i ng at majority p r i v i l e g e a nd r a c i s m d i r e c t l y - unt i l no w. I n s uc h c i r c um s t a nc e s , wi t ho ut c o ns c i o us e f f o r t t o c ha l l e ng e r a c i s m , hum a ni t a r i a n a c t i o n m a y e v e n i na d v e r t e nt l y , c o nt r i b ut e t o p e r p e t ua t i ng i t .

T he r e f o r e , we a s a p a r t o f hum a ni t a r i a n a c t o r s m us t b e a b l e t o c o nt r i b ut e t o d e c r e a s e t he i m p a c t o f r a c i s m b y no t o nl y s ho wi ng o ur ne ut r a l i t y b ut a l s o t a k e a s t a nd . 5 B y c ul t i v a t i ng hum a ni t y t hr o ug h v o c a l s up p o r t , unc o ns c i o us l y a l l e l e m e nt s o f s o c i e t y s t a r t t o f i nd e q ui t y b e t we e n a l l r a c e a nd t he y wi l l r e s p e c t e v e r y d i v e r s i t y . A s M a r t i n L ut he r K i ng o nc e s t a t e s , i n t he e nd , we wi l l r e m e m b e r no t t he wo r d s o f o ur e ne m i e s b ut t he s i l e nc e o f o ur f r i e nd s . A s l o ng a s we d e c i d e t o r e m a i n s i l e nt , t ha t i s whe r e r a c i s m c o nt i nue s a nd b e c o m e s l e t ha l .

The Reality of Discrimination Against Papuans in Indonesia WRITTEN BY : FAKHIRA DYNA ALSA INDONESIA

B h i n n e k a T u n g g a l I k a , t r a ns l a t e s a s “uni t y i n d i v e r s i t y ' ' , i s I nd o ne s i a ’s o f f i c i a l m o t t o t ha t i s us e d a s a g ui d e f o r a l l I nd o ne s i a n p e o p l e . I t i m p l i e s t ha t t he p e o p l e , wi t h v a r i o us b a c k g r o und s o f c ul t ur e a nd e t hni c i t i e s , c a n l i v e t o g e t he r i n p e a c e . G e o g r a p hi c a l l y , I nd o ne s i a i s a n a r c hi p e l a g i c c o unt r y whi c h c o nt a i ns m ul t i p l e r a c e s , c ul t ur e s , r e l i g i o ns , a nd t r i b e s i n e v e r y r e g i o n, m a k i ng I nd o ne s i a a p l ur a l i s t i c s o c i e t y . T hi s c a n a l s o b e o ne o f I nd o ne s i a ’s uni q ue t r a i t s . I n b e t we e n t hi s diversity, comes f r a g m e nt a t i o n v ul ne r a b i l i t y d ue t o t he i r d i f f e r e nc e s . Di s uni t y i n s o c i e t y c o m e s i n m a ny f o r m s , o ne o f whi c h i s r a c i a l d i s c r i m i na t i o n. R a c i a l d i s c r i m i na t i o n c a n s t i l l b e f o und i n I nd o ne s i a . A s a n example, d i s c r i m i na t i o n a g a i ns t t he P a p ua n c o m m uni t y s t i l l o c c ur s a nd i s c o ns i d e r e d a s o ur c e o f c o nf l i c t .

I n 2 0 1 9 , t he r e wa s i nt i m i d a t i o n a nd s i e g e o f 4 3 P a p ua n s t ud e nt s i n a d o r m i t o r y i n S ur a b a y a , f o l l o we d b y ha t e s p e e c h a nd s we a r i ng f o r m o r e t ha n 2 4 ho ur s . T he b e g i nni ng o f t he i nc i d e nt o c c ur r e d d ue t o t he a l l e g e d d e s t r uc t i o n o f t he na t i o na l f l a g t ha t wa s t hr o wn i n t he d i t c h o f t he d o r m i t o r y b y i r r e s p o ns i b l e p e o p l e ( whi c h r e m a i ne d unk no wn) . B e c a us e o f t ha t , t he s t ud e nt s we r e t r a ns p o r t e d a nd d e t a i ne d a t t he p o l i c e he a d q ua r t e r s o f S ur a b a y a e v e n t ho ug h no e v i d e nc e wa s f o und . T hi s t r i g g e r e d b i g d e m o ns t r a t i o ns i n v a r i o us c i t i e s i n P a p ua p r o v i nc e a nd e nd e d wi t h t he b l o c k i ng o f i nt e r ne t a c c e s s a nd t he c r i m i na l i z a t i o n o f s e v e r a l a c t i v i s t s .

A y e a r l a t e r , t he d i s t r i c t c o ur t o f B a l i k p a p a n s e nt e nc e d s e v e n P a p ua n a c t i v i s t s t o t r e a s o n. T he a c t i v i s t s we r e f o und g ui l t y o f b e i ng i nv o l v e d i n a nt i - r a c i s m d e m o ns t r a t i o ns . M o r e o v e r , i n e a r l y 2 0 2 1 , t he r e wa s a c a s e o f r a c i a l i ns ul t s c a r r i e d o ut b y A m b r o nc i us N a b a b a n t o t he f o r m e r c o m m i s s i o ne r o f t he N a t i o na l H um a n R i g ht s C o m m i s s i o n, N a t a l i us P i g a i , who a l l e g e d l y up l o a d e d a p ho t o c o l l a g e b e t we e n N a t a l i us a nd a g o r i l l a . A m b r o s i us c l a i m s t ha t he d i d no t i nt e nd t o i ns ul t r a c e o r e t hni c i t y , b ut r a t he r a s a f o r m o f s a t i r i c a l c r i t i c i s m o f hi s f r us t r a t i o ns wi t h N a t a l i us r e g a r d i ng t he V a c c i na t i o n Programme.

T he U ni t e d N a t i o ns ha s a g r e e d t o a n i nt e r na t i o na l c o nv e nt i o n on t he e l i m i na t i o n o f a l l f o r m s o f r a c i a l d i s c r i m i na t i o n o r a l s o k no wn a s I C E R D. A s a m e m b e r o f t he U ni t e d N a t i o ns , I nd o ne s i a s ho ul d a l s o a p p l y t hi s c o nv e nt i o n b y f ul f i l l i ng t he r i g ht s o f a l l r a c e s , r e s p e c t i ng t he r i g ht s o f every citizen wi t ho ut a ny d i s c r i m i na t i o n, a nd e ns ur i ng l e g a l g ua r a nt e e s t o a l l t he p e o p l e . S o c i e t y m us t i nc r e a s e t o l e r a nc e b e t we e n p e o p l e a nd no t s e e d i f f e r e nc e s a s a problem.

55 ALSA MAGAZINE

“WE ARE NOT MONKEY RACE, WE ARE HUMAN RACE” Written By : Edelweis Bintang Revinda ALSA Indonesia

ALSA MAGAZINE 56

Indonesia is a country that has various ethnic, racial, cultural, and religious backgrounds, making Indonesia a diverse state. Despite its remarkable diversity, it is also used as a vulnerable trigger of social conflict between communities. R acial issue is one of the major problems in Indonesia, resulting discrimination against certain races. When we look at the news and social media, the tendency of racist narratives can still be seen and heard. For example, Indonesians tend to see candidates for governors not in terms of achievement, but in terms of their ethnicity, race, and religious backgrounds. This does not go in line with what we believe to be the very foundation of Indonesia, Pancasila and the 194 5 Constitution.

In 2019 , racial discrimination was experienced by Papuan students in Surabaya, East Java. It was triggered by the accidental damage to the Indonesian national flag that fell into a drainage ditch in front of a Papuan student dormitory.

A t that time, some viewed that it was the Papuan students who had deliberately damaged the national flag.

As a result, the dormitory was surrounded by a nationalist organization and some individuals dressed in the Indonesian National Armed Forces uniform. V ideos spread on social media showing some of the mob shouting "monkey! " at the Papuan students inside the compound.

The armed forces als o threatened to ki ll the students instead of talking diplomatical ly to clarif y what had actual ly happened.

The Indonesian society, particularly Papuans, responded furiously to this racis m.

The provincial governor of Papua f irmly stated to the media that Papuans are not a “monkey” race, that they are members of the human race.

The racis m in Surabaya triggered mass ive demonstrations in several regions of Papua and W est Papua provinces. Many of the protesters on the next day brought posters with the s logan " I 'm Not a Monkey. " They demanded the president to pay more attention in terms of human rights in Papua, not just letting multinational companies exploit Papua’s natural resources.

Papua is home to the Gras berg copper and gold mine, the world's larges t gold mine and the third larges t copper mine, operated by Freeport Indones ia, a s ubs idiary of US- owned Freeport McMoran C opper and Gold.

T he Indones ian government is f acing a very s erious problem aris ing f rom racis m.

T he government s hould educate the people about the Papuans , explain that they are part of Indones ia and are jus t as the s ame as any other human, while res toring Papuans ’ trus t in law enf orcement agains t racis m.

Multicultural education in Indones ia can only be built through s us tainable and integrated ef f orts . T he roles and s upport are needed f rom teachers as well as f aculties , educational ins titutions , and other education policy makers , es pecia- lly in the application of curriculum with a multicultural approach.

57 ALSA MAGAZINE

A HUMAN RI GHT S I S S UE ARI S I NG F ROM T HE S E L F DE T E RMI NAT I ON DE B AT E

WRITTEN BY : AISYAH SALSABILLA ALSA INDONESIA

S e l f - d e t e r m i n a t i on o r i g i n a l ly s e r v es a s a t o ol f o r c o l o n i z ed s t a t es t o o b t a in s t a t e h o od i n t he i n t e r n a t i o n al c o m mu n i t y. D e c l a r a t i on o n t he G r a n t i ng o f I n d e p e n d e n ce t o C o l o n i al C o u n t r i es a nd P e o p l es s t a t e s,

All peoples have the right to selfdetermination; by virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social, and cultural development.

T h e U n i t ed N a t i o ns d e f i n es “a ll p e o p l e s” t o t h o se u n d er c o n t r ol of a n o t h e r.

M a ny p r e v i o u s l y - c o l o n i z ed s t a t es a re a c k n o w l e d g ed as i n d e p e n d e nt s o v e r e i gn s t a t es t od ay t h r o u gh s e l f - d e t e r m i n a t i o n, a s t h ey o u g ht t o h a ve w i l l i n g n e s s, d e f i n ed t e r r i t o r y, e s t a b l i s h ed g o v e r n m e n t, a nd o t h er c on t r i b u t i ng f a c t or s .

S i m i l a r l y, i n t e r n a t i o n al h u m an r i g h ts l aw t od ay r e c o g n i z es r i g h ts o f s e l f - d e t e r m i n a t i on a s a h u m an r i g ht a s s t i p u l a t ed i n A r t i c le 1 o f t he I n t e r n a t i o n al C o v e n a nt o n C i v i l a nd P o l i t i c al R i g h t s. T h i s , h o w e v e r, r a i s es t he d e b a te o n t he s c o pe o f s e l f - d e t e r m i n a t i on b e t w e en i n t e r n a t i o n al h u m an r i g h ts a nd i n t e r n a t i o n al l a w. I n t e r n a t i o n al h u m an r i g h ts l aw s e es s e l f - d e t e r m i n a t i on a s r i g ht o f t he p e o p le b a s ed o n p e o p l e ’s s o v e r e i g n t y, w h e re “ a ll p e o p l e” e x p l i c i t ly m e a ns a ny p e r s o n, i n c l u d i ng g r o u ps t h at a re v i c t i ms of d i s c r i m i n a t i on.

The i n t e r n a t i o n al l a w, h o w e v e r, s t r i c t ly l i m i ts i ts a p p l i c a b i l i ty t o o n ly t e r r i t o r i es u n d er u n d e s i r ed f o r e i gn o c c u p a t i o n.

ALSA MAGAZINE 58

T he uns o l v e d d e b a t e r a i s e s c o nf l i c t s f o r m i no r i t y g r o up s t ha t d e s i r e f r e e d o m . Fo r i ns t a nc e , O r g a ni s a s i P a p ua M e r d e k a ( “O P M ”) t ha t e m e r g e d i n 1 9 6 5 unt i l p r e s e nt ha s e nd l e s s l y s t r i v e d t o s e p a r a t e t he m s e l v e s f r o m t he R e p ub l i c o f I nd o ne s i a . O P M a i m s f o r i nd e p e nd e nc e a s W e s t P a p ua e nc o unt e r e d e c o no m i c d i s c r i m i na t i o n f r o m t he I nd o ne s i a n g o v e r nm e nt . T he hum a n r i g ht s l a w p e r s p e c t i v e d e e m s t ha t d i s c r i m i na t i o n a s s uf f i c i e nt f a c t o r t o i nd i c a t e a d i s t ur b e d r i g ht , he nc e O P M ha s t he r i g ht t o s e l f - d e t e r m i ne t he i r i nd e p e nd e nc e .

C o nt r a r i l y , t he i nt e r na t i o na l c o m m uni t y s e e s O P M m e r e l y a s I nd o ne s i a ’s i nt e r na l c o nf l i c t , c o ns i d e r i ng O P M a s a n uns e p a r a t e d p a r t o f I nd o ne s i a t ha t is no whe r e ne a r b e i ng c o l o ni s e d .

T hr o ug h t hi s v i e w, selfd e t e r m i na t i o n i s no t a p p l i c a b l e , d e s p i t e i t ha r m i ng t he r i g ht s of t he P a p ua ns .

C o nc l us i v e l y , whe t he r o r no t W e s t P a p ua c a n b e a n i nd e p e nd e nt s t a t e i s s t i l l p e nd i ng .

Indonesia’s ‘Quiet Diplomacy’ Over R2P: Misinterpreted or Lack of Commitment?

WRITTEN BY : AISHA MAHIRA HAKIM PAMBUDI ALSA INDONESIA H i s t o r i c a l l y , I nd o ne s i a ha s s o ug ht t o p l a y t he bebas- aktif ( i nd e p e nd e nc e a nd active) p r i nc i p l e as t he g r o und of I nd o ne s i a ’s f o r e i g n p o l i c y f o r o v e r 7 6 y e a r s . De s p i t e t he c ha ng e s o f v a r i o us m a ni f e s t a t i o ns r e g a r d i ng i t , I nd o ne s i a s t i l l stood tall wi t h its l o ng - e s t a b l i s he d p r i nc i p l e . Fur t he r m o r e , i t ha s b e e n s t a t e d by A mbassador Rizal S uk m a t ha t I nd o ne s i a n f o r e i g n p o l i c y wi l l c o nt i nue t o b e g ui d e d b y t he p r i nc i p l e o f b e b a s - a k t i f , t he imperative of s e r v i ng I nd o ne s i a n na t i o na l i nt e r e s t s , a nd t he c o ns t i t ut i o na l o b l i g a t i o n t o c o nt r i b ut e t o i nt e r na t i o na l peace a nd j us t i c e .

Over t he years, I nd o ne s i a n c o nt r i b ut i o n t o t he hum a n r i g ht s field reflected in its active participation as a UN member state in d i s c us s i ng t he UN G e ne r a l A ssembly hum a n r i g ht s a g e nd a , especially in C o m m i t t e e I I I a nd t he H um a n R i g ht s C o unc i l .

Moreover, t he I nd o ne s i a n g o v e r nm e nt ha s also been proactive r e g a r d i ng t he c o nt i nue d e t hni c c l e a ns i ng i n P a l e s t i ne a nd R o hi ng y a i n M y a nm a r . I t s i nf l ue nc e i n i nt e r na t i o na l a f f a i r s ha s g r o wn, some of its objectives in foreign policy are i n q ue s t i o n no ne t he l e s s .

A I nd o ne s i a n c o nt e nt i o us d e c i s i o n o v e r t he U ni t e d N a t i o ns G e ne r a l A s s e m b l y A nnua l M e e t i ng r e g a r d i ng R e s p o ns i b i l i t y t o P r o t e c t ( R 2 P ) ha s b e e n s p o t l i g ht e d b y t he i nt e r na t i o na l c o m m uni t y o v e r t he p a s t we e k . A s t he wo r l d ' s t hi r d - l a r g e s t d e m o c r a t i c c o unt r y , t o b e o n t he " l i s t o f s ha m e " a l o ng wi t h o t he r r e p r e s s i v e s t a t e s , ha d t o q ue s t i o n I nd o ne s i a n c o m m i t m e nt to r e s o l v i ng gross v i o l a t i o ns o f hum a n r i g ht s , e s p e c i a l l y e t hni c c l e a ns i ng . O n t he o t he r ha nd , t he Fo r e i g n M i ni s t r y of I nd o ne s i a ha s r e l e a s e d a s t a t e m e nt o n why i t ha s v o t e d a g a i ns t t he a d o p t i o n o f R 2 P .

I n i t s c l a r i f i c a t i o n, R 2 P d o e s no t ne e d t o b e a n a nnua l a g e nd a , no t i ng t ha t t he r e ha s b e e n a f o r um r e g a r d i ng t he s e i s s ue s s i nc e 2009.

Moreover, it e m p ha s i z e d t ha t I nd o ne s i a ' s p o s i t i o n s ha l l no t m i s i nt e r p r e t o p p o s i ng t he R2P's s ub s t a nc e yet p ur e l y R2P's p r o c e d ur a l . I n r e g a r d , m a ny we r e t a k e n a b a c k b y I nd o ne s i a ' s c o m m i t m e nt t o e nd i ng t he e t hni c c l e a ns i ng . L i k e wi s e , t he I nd o ne s i a n g o v e r nm e nt ' s d e c i s i o n i s a l s o no t f ul l y s up p o r t e d i n t he i r c o unt r y .

Some of t he m expressed t he i r d i s a p p o i nt m e nt o v e r t he g o v e r nm e nt ' s d e c i s i o n t o v o t e a g a i ns t R 2 P i f i t i s o nl y r e g a r d i ng t he p r o c e d ur a l . Fur t he r m o r e , A m ne s t y I nt e r na t i o na l I nd o ne s i a a r g ue d t ha t I nd o ne s i a ' s a c t i o n m i g ht b e s e e n a s a l a c k o f c o m m i t m e nt t o e nd i ng P a l e s t i ne o c c up a t i o n, N o t t o m e nt i o n I nd o ne s i a ' s c ur r e nt p o s i t i o n a s a no np e r m a ne nt member of t he U ni t e d N a t i o ns H um a n R i g ht s C o unc i l .

M o r e o v e r , i t a l s o q ue s t i o ne d I nd o ne s i a ' s d o m e s t i c hum a n r i g ht s r e s e t t l e m e nt , especially c o nc e r ni ng t he alleged e t hni c c l e a ns i ng i s s ue i n W e s t P a p ua .

59 ALSA MAGAZINE

Legalization of Tattoo in Korea and Self-Determination in the Body WRITTEN BY : YOUN JUHAE ALSA KOREA

T a t t o o s ha v e b e e n s e c r e t l y k e p t i n t he d a r k f o r d e c a d e s i n K o r e a a f t e r t he S up r e m e C o ur t a nd t he C o ns t i t ut i o na l C o ur t r ul e d t ha t t a t t o o s b y no n- m e d i c a l p e o p l e we r e i l l e g a l i n 1 9 9 2 . A c c o r d i ng t o S o ut h K o r e a ’s b r o a d c a s t o f e t hi c s r ul e s , t a t t o o s a r e s t i l l c o ns i d e r e d i l l e g a l i n K o r e a .

T ha t ’s why J ung - k o o k , a m e m b e r o f t he K o r e a n b o y g r o up c a l l e d B T S , ha s b e e n c o v e r i ng hi s ha nd wi t h a b a nd - a i d whe ne v e r he a p p e a r s o n K o r e a n t e l e v i s i o n.

ALSA MAGAZINE 60

A b i l l t o l e g a l i z e t a t t o o s ha s b e e n s ub m i t t e d b y t he N a t i o na l A s s e m b l y a s f r e e d o m o f e x p r e s s i o n a nd s e l f - d e t e r m i na t i o n o v e r t he b o d y i s r e q ui r e d , b ut p r o s a nd c o ns a r e s t i l l i nt e ns i f y i ng i n K o r e a n s o c i e t y .

T he m a i n a r g um e nt f o r t a t t o o l e g a l i z a t i o n l i e s i n t he f r e e e x p r e s s i o n o f a n i nd i v i d ua l . A b i l l t o l e g a l i z e t a t t o o s b y R y u H o - j ung , l a b o r a c t i v i s t - t ur ne d - l a wm a k e r , embodies t hi s p o s i t i o n.

R y u’s law f o c us e s on tattoo l e g a l i z a t i o n a nd t he o c c up a t i o n o f t a t t o o i s t s b y p r e s c r i b i ng t he s c o p e o f t he i r wo r k a nd l i c e ns i ng , hy g i e ne m a na g e m e nt o b l i g a t i o ns , a nd g o v e r nm e nt m a na g e m e nt a nd s up e r v i s i o n. W hi l e s up p o r t i ng R y u’s b i l l , t he Korea Tattoo A ssociation stressed t ha t c o ns um e r s can also be safely treated t hr o ug h l e g a l i z a t i o n o f t a t t o o s a s m o r e t ha n 1 3 m i l l i o n t a t t o o i s t s i n K o r e a , i nc l ud i ng s e m i p e r m a ne nt tattoos, a c c o r d i ng to data r e l e a s e d b y t a t t o o d y e m a nuf a c t ur e r T he S t a nd a r d i n 2 0 1 8 .

O n t he o t he r ha nd , v o i c e s o p p o s i ng t he l e g a l i z a t i o n o f t a t t o o s a r e c o m i ng f r o m t he m e d i c a l a nd e d uc a t i o na l c i r c l e . A r t i c l e 2 7 o f t he K o r e a n M e d i c a l S e r v i c e A c t s t a t e s t ha t “no o ne c a n p r a c t i c e m e d i c i ne unl e s s t he y a r e m e d i c a l p e r s o nne l . ”

A c c o r d i ng t o a K o r e a n m e d i c a l j o ur na l , t he K o r e a n M e d i c a l A s s o c i a t i o n a r g ue s t ha t t a t t o o s s ho ul d b e s t r i c t l y p r o hi b i t e d b e c a us e t he y p o s e a r i s k t o t he hum a n b o d y s uc h a s s k i n d a m a g e o r i nf e c t i o n.

L i k e wi s e , a c c o r d i ng to t he Korean E d uc a t i o n N e ws p a p e r , T he M i ni s t r y o f E d uc a t i o n p o i nt e d o ut t ha t l e g a l i z i ng t a t t o o s c a n ha v e a ne g a t i v e i m p a c t o n s t ud e nt s a s we l l a s t e a c he r s .

I n c o nc l us i o n, e v e n i f o p p o s i t i o n v o i c e s exist, legalization of tattoos is already b e c o m i ng a t r e nd i n K o r e a n s o c i e t y .

H o we v e r , i n t he p r o c e s s o f l e g a l i z a t i o n, c o o r d i na t i o n s uc h a s s t r i c t a p p l i c a t i o n o f t a t t o o s t o m i no r s o r t ho s e who ha v e t he p ur p o s e o f a v o i d i ng m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e whi l e s up p l e m e nt i ng c o nc e r ns i n t he m e d i c a l a nd e d uc a t i o na l c i r c l e . T he r e a r e s t i l l a r g um e nt s a g a i ns t t a t t o o s , b ut i f t he b i l l i nc l ud e s c l e a r p r i nc i p l e s a nd s t a nd a r d s for p r o c e d ur e s , Korean s o c i e t y wi l l m o v e t o wa r d a f ut ur e whe r e t he b o d y ’s r i g ht t o s e l f - d e t e r m i na t i o n wi l l i nc r e a s e d ue t o l e g a l i z a t i o n o f tattoos.

61 ALSA MAGAZINE

A Discovery of Exploitation: Do Mining Activities Bring More Harm Than Good For Human Lives?

WRITTEN BY : FEBRIANITA DINAR PRAMESTI ALSA INDONESIA

M i ni ng i s a n a c t i v i t y t ha t c o ns i s t s o f e f f o r t s t o s e a r c h, e x t r a c t , p r o c e s s , ut i l i z e , a nd s e l l m i ne r a l s . T he m i ne r a l s c a n b e i n t he f o r m o f m i ne r a l s , c o a l , g e o t he r m a l , o i l a nd g a s , a nd t i n. N o wa d a y s , m i ni ng a c t i v i t y ha s b e e n s t e a d i l y i nc r e a s e d o v e r t he c e nt ur i e s a l l o v e r t he wo r l d , i nc l ud i ng i n I nd o ne s i a .

T hi s sector ha s been in I nd o ne s i a , p a r t i c ul a r l y in J ava a r o und 700 AD p r o d uc i ng s i l v e r a nd g o l d . B a c k t he n i n 1 7 1 0 , t i n wa s t he f i r s t m i ne r a l t ha t m i ne d o n B a ng k a I s l a nd a nd ne a r l y 2 0 %- 3 0 % o f t he wo r l d ' s t i n s up p l y i s f r o m I nd o ne s i a . O t he r t ha n t i n, t he r e we r e m a ng a ne s e a nd c o a l t ha t wa s m i ne d b y I nd o ne s i a ' s Dut s c h C o l o ni a l d ur i ng t he 1 9 t h c e nt ur y e r a . U nt i l no w, t he r e a r e l o t s o f m i ni ng c o m p a ni e s i n I nd o ne s i a . T he ne we s t up d a t e i s a g o l d m i ni ng c o m p a ny t ha t i s a b o ut t o s t a r t t he i r o p e r a t i o ns at S a ng i he I s l a nd , North S ul a we s i .

M i ni ng a c t i v i t y ha s l o t s o f e f f e c t s , f o r i ns t a nc e o c c ur r i ng e nv i r o nm e nt a l i s s ue s a nd no t t o m e nt i o n v i o l a t i o n a g a i ns t hum a n r i g ht s . Fr e e p o r t , a g i a nt m i ni ng c o m p a ny t ha t ha s b e e n o p e r a t i ng i n W e s t P a p ua , I nd o ne s i a s i nc e 1 9 6 3 ha s d a m a g e d 3 0 , 0 0 0 he c t a r e s o f r a i nf o r e s t o v e r t he A j k wa a nd K o p i r i v e r s . O f c o ur s e t hi s e nv i r o nm e nt a l d a m a g e ha s a f f e c t e d t ho us a nd s o f l o c a l p e o p l e , p r i m a r i l y t he A m ung m e a nd t he K a m o r o , who d e p e nd o n t he s e na t ur a l r e s o ur c e s f o r t he i r f o o d , wa t e r a nd o t he r b a s i c ne e d s , a nd a l s o c ul t ur a l p r a c t i c e s .

L o c a l p e o p l e ha v e b e e n k i d na p p e d , t o r t ur e , a nd i nhum a n o r d e g r a d i ng t r e a t e d i n a nd a r o und Fr e e p o r t ' s p r o j e c t a r e a unt i l no w.

T hi s ha s b e e n s t a t e d c l e a r l y b y I nd o ne s i a ' s N a t i o na l C o m m i s s i o n o n H um a n R i g ht s ( K o m na s H A M ) . T he p r o c e s s i ng s y s t e m us e s m e r c ur y whi c h ha s t he p o t e nt i a l t o c a us e e nv i r o nm e nt a l p o l l ut i o n a nd he a l t h p r o b l e m s f o r t he l o c a l p e o p l e .

ALSA MAGAZINE 62

M e r c ur y ha s s e v e r a l e f f e c t s , i nc l ud i ng d i s r up t i ng liver a nd k i d ne y f unc t i o n, i nt e r f e r i ng wi t h e nz y m e systems a nd s y nt he t i c m e c ha ni s m s , i nt e r f e r i ng wi t h t he b l o o d s up p l y t o t he b r a i n, a nd c a us i ng b r a i n d a m a g e . T he s e a c t i o ns v i o l a t e T he 1945 C o ns t i t ut i o n o f t he R e p ub l i c o f I nd o ne s i a , A r t i c l e 2 8 H , s e c t i o n ( 1 ) whi c h r e a d s " E v e r y p e r s o n s ha l l ha v e t he r i g ht t o l i v e i n p hy s i c a l a nd s p i r i t ua l p r o s p e r i t y , t o ha v e a ho m e a nd t o e nj o y a g o o d a nd he a l t hy e nv i r o nm e nt , a nd s ha l l ha v e t he r i g ht t o o b t a i n m e d i c a l c a r e . "

The process of evacuating victims due to a mining accident in the Fish Nest area, Lubuk Besar Village, Central Bangka Regency.

L o o k i ng b a c k t o P T . T i ns i n B a ng k a I s l a nd , i n 2 0 2 0 , 1 9 wo r k e r s d i e d b e c a us e o f wo r k a c c i d e nt s d ue t o l a c k o f a d e q ua t e s a f e t y e q ui p m e nt . H i e r a r c hy o f ha z a r d c o nt r o l s s ho ul d b e t a k e n s e r i o us l y b y t he c o m p a ny a s i t i s r e l a t e d t o t he wo r k e r s l i f e . I n I nd o ne s i a , t he r e i s l a b o r r e g ul a t i o ns i n t he m i ni ng s e c t o r whi c h a r e r e g ul a t e d i n P e r a t ur a n M e nt e r i T e na g a K e r j a R I N o .

15/ MEN/ 20 0 5.

Open Application for

ALSA INTERNATIONAL BOARD 2021/2022 Available Position: Vice President of Academic Activities

DUTIES: 1. Oversee all matters pertaining to the academic activities of ALSA

2. Establish an academic theme for the term of the International Board that will bind ALSA International academic activities

3. Plan and coordinate ALSA International academic activities

4. Stimulate academic activities at the National and Local level through purposive coordination

5. Receive and archive the updates of vital legal issues within ALSA’s member countries and Observers

To :sec_gen@alsainternational.org Subject:[IB Position]_IB Application 2021/2022 1. Application Form* 2. Motivation Letter 3. Curriculum Vitae 4. Action Plan 2021-2022 5. Two Recommendation Letters from your own National Chapter and other National Chapter

Send Send your application by August 22nd, 2021 *Get the Application Form from your National Chapter For further enquiries: Vishnu Varna vp_ aa@alsainternational.org

ITE LAW: WHERE THE LEGALITY OF THE LAW AND HUMAN RIGHTS ARE PUT IN QUESTION WRITTEN BY : ICHA FAIZATUR, ALSA INDONESIA Human rights are absolute rights owned by all humans regardless of background, gender, ethnicity, and universality. The existence cannot be reduced, confiscated, or ignored, for Human rights must be protected and respected by anyone including the state from birth until death.

One of the fundamental basis of human rights is the right to expressor referred to as freedom of expression. Freedom of expression has been recognized and guaranteed in various international covenants such as Article 23 of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration that explains “Every person has the right to freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information, whether orally in writing or through any other medium of that person’s choice”and Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that explains “everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers”.

One of the international covenant related to freedom of expression that has been ratified by Indonesia is the International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) which was ratified through Law No. 12 of 2005 on Ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, one of which contains guarantees of freedom of religion, belief, right to privacy, right to participate in elections and the rights of minority groups. Therefore, in general, the concept of freedom of expression in Indonesia refers to the International Covenant on Civil of The International Rights.

ALSA MAGAZINE 64

Ratification of the human rights covenant shows that Indonesia is determined to realize the freedom of expression within the scope of this country. Long before the ratification, Indonesia had guaranteed freedom of opinion and expression in article 28 which was strengthened in Article 28E paragraph (3) of the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of which reads "Everyone has the right to freedom of association, assembly and expression” Although protection has been guaranteed, the implementation of freedom of expression is still counterproductive in its implementation”.

Along with advances in information technology, there has been a change in the communication pattern in society, including the activities of conveying or expressing opinions. Due to information technology advancement, society is increasingly facilitated and easier to receive, seek or express opinions in a wider scope, but on the other hand the development of information technology also raises problems such as the emergence of crimes/unlawful activity in cyberspace such as personal data breaches, online fraud transaction, cyberbullying and so on, this condition then encourages the House of Representatives of Republic Indonesia to form regulations that can accommodate and protect the public from cybercrime. In 2008, the House Of Representatives passed Act No. 11 of 2008 concerning the Information and Electronic Transactions (ITE). In the beginning, the overture of this Law was more directed in the protection of cyber crime in relations to online transaction frauds, however, throughout the development and revision

for this law there are complications arose as such would cause many contradictions for it is assumed to be limiting a person’s right in expressing their thoughts or opinion because nowadays in the digital world there are more numbers who express their thoughts freely on social medias. Therefore, in this case many people who use their rights to express their opinion through social media may end up criminalized by the police with the pretext of violating the ITE Law because it might cause fear in the society to convey criticism and suggestions through social media, especially in criticizing govern- ment policies.

From 2016 to 2020 several articles concerning the ITE Law are most often used to criminalize someone for inappropriate comments or posts on social media as stipulated in Article 27 Paragraph (1) (2) (3), Article 28 paragraph (2), and Article 29 of the ITE Law. Among the three articles, Article 27 paragraph (3) is the most frequent article imposed to criminalize someone and at the same time becomes one of the most controversial article that creates fear of expressing opinions in the digital and public spaces, the article is stated as "Everyone intentionally and without rights distributes and/or transmits and/or makes accessible Electronic information and/or Electronic Documents that contain insults and/or defamation contents”. This article is ambiguous and often ensnares people with low digital literacy which are high in Indonesia, this article is also often used by people with more power to criminalize weak people. In addition, Article 27 paragraph (3) is often used to criminalize someone as silence criticism.

For example, throughout 2019 there have been 8 cases of the ITE Law that ensnared journalists and news media, the first case experienced by Jawa Pos Media, Jawa Pos Media is known as an Indonesia news media. This media report was reported by the Persebaya Football Club Manager for uploading news with the title "Green Force Pun Terseret" that discussed the all-

eged football mafia when the Persebaya Football Club vs the Central Kalimantan Putra Ball Club held on October 12, 2017.

According to the statement from the Jawa Pos management, the news was based on the results of investigations conducted by their journalists, which is an investigation of legal activities as social control efforts and are protected

by Law Number. 40 of 1999 on Pers.

Furthermore, during the pandemic, the government made a lot of policies to prevent the spread of COVID-19, it brought instability in society and also affected the level of reports of violations of the ITE Law. The reports of violations concerning the ITE Law increased by 4,790 cases, many cases were reported based on violating “Pasal Karet” (Ambiguous Articles), as experienced by Ravio Patra, an activist and public policy researcher who experienced hacking on his WhatsApp accounts, the hacker spreads false messages containing provocations to carry out a nationwide looting action to all shops around the neighborhood on April 30, which in the aftermath of the message broadcast, Police forcibly without an arrest and search warrant arrest him for reporting accusations of violating Article 28 paragraph 1 of the ITE Law concerning fake news that results in consumer losses in electronic transactions "which later changed to Article 28 paragraph (2) of the ITE Law concerning speech or hostility towards individuals and community groups based on SARA".

Even though the Police released Ravio Patra, the incident that happened to this activist experienced many irregularities not only because it violated legal procedures but the arrest was aimed to limiting public expression especially that related to public policy criticisms including the policy on handling the COVID-19 pandemic which was uploaded through social media.

65 ALSA MAGAZINE

The increase of cases in the violations of the ITE Law during the pandemic era is not only due to the broad interpretation but also to the lack of efforts to strengthen restorative justice in its implementation, as happened in one of the cases experienced by someone with the nickname Jerinx which arose as a result of the report from the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI) which did not receive criticism on handling Covid-19.

It was observed from social media that many people did not agree with the criticisms conveyed by Jerinx and at the same time did not agree if his criticisms ended in a legal proceedings, especially since Jerinx has apologized and made people question the democracy and freedom of expression in Indonesia.

Some articles are considered as “pasal karet (ambiguous articles) ” because they are often misapplied, for example, Article 27 paragraph (3) of the ITE Law. Article 27 is referred to Articles 310 and 311 of the Criminal Code which regulates the provisions of defamation. The regulation of defamation in the Criminal Code is a petitioned offense so that Article 27 paragraph (3) must use the same, as a petitioned offense the consequence is only individuals can complain to the police and not state institutions, non-state institutions, company, or group community.

However, in its implementation, as happened in the case above, there has been an false interpretation of Article 27 paragraph (3), state or non-state institutions, companies, a community who can report defamation to the police, this is not following the intent stated in the Article 310 and 311 of Criminal Code as petitioned offense.

This false interpretation can bring a loophole for the Indonesian government to criminalize someone in order to silence critics in the future.

Article 27 paragraph (3) of the ITE Law is one example of the ITE Law that can threaten freedom of expression in society due to miss perception. As a reference, the concept of limiting freedom of expression in ICCPR can be ALSA MAGAZINE 66

used. The ICCPR expressed that freedom of expression is a right that cannot be limited but can be reduced in some elements that are, first to respect others reputations, second to protect national security, and public order or health or moral which must be regulated in certain regulations based on necessity and proportionality. ICCPR defines “others” as limiting elements are all people except public figures including politicians and government officials. By adopting the concept of an insider in the ICCPR, it is possible to reduce the possibility of attempts to silence public criticism of policies in the government sphere. freedom of expression may be reduced if it threatens national order, public health, or morals. This does not include silencing or suppressing the delivery of public information by journalists, researchers, environmental activists, human rights lawyers, and anyone who disseminates public information.

The number of pros and cons of this law finally pushed the Indonesia government to make revisions as requested by most Indonesian, this brings good news.

In June 2021, the President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo approved a limited revision of several articles in the ITE Law, namely article 27, Article 29, and Article 36 as well as adding Article 45C. The public hopes that the results of the revised 4 articles can be made better, directed, and measured so that it does not limit freedom of expression in the public, both offline and online, and at the same time this law can still protect the public from crimes that may arise in the digital space.

Balancing Between Human Rights and Ecological Rights: Why is it Important?

WRITTEN BY : NURUL HABAIB AL MUKARRAMAH I n t he c o n st i tut io n o f I n d o n e si a , i t i s s t a t e d t h at h u m an r i g ht s ; s u ch a s t he r i g ht of s o ci e t y to m a ni f e s t t he e n vi r o n m e nt f o r m a x i m um p r of i t, s h al l b e u p h el d a nd r e s pe ct e d b y a l l h u m an b ei n g s. H o w e v e r, d o we e v er c o me i nt o o ne t h o u g ht t h at o ur c o n st i tut io n i s a l s o e nt i t le d a s a “g r e en c o n st i tut io n” t h at h as a t tr i b ut e d r i g ht s t o t he e n vi r o n m e nt t h at s h al l b e f ul f i l le d a nd r e s p e ct e d?

U nf o rt u n at e l y , m o st of us a re s t i ll u n a w a re o f t he i m p o rt a n ce o f u p h ol d i ng e c ol o gi c al j u s t ic e a nd b al a n ci ng i t wi th h u m an r i g ht s .

T h e i m b al a n ce b et w e en h u ma n r i g ht s e s p e ci a l l y on t he r i g ht to take a d v a nt a ge o f t he e n vi r o n m e nt f o r p r of i t a nd e c ol o gi c al r i g ht s h as i m p a ct e d t he e n vi r o n m e nt a nd i ts b i o di v e r si ty , a nd t he c o nt in ui ty o f h u m an l i f e . O ne p l a u si b l e e x a m pl e is h ow K a l i m a nt a n f o r e st s k n o wn a s t he “ lu n gs o f e a rt h” c o nt in ue t o d e g r a de a nd d i m i ni s h i nt o o nl y 3 5 % i n 2 0 1 9 d ue t o l a nd o p e ni ng f o r b u si n e ss a nd i nv e s t m e nt p ur p o s e s whi c h s i m ul t a ne o us l y e nd a ng e r s e nd e m i c s p e c i e s a nd l i v i ng b i o d i v e r s i t y i n t he forest.

Moreover, deforestation also l e a d s i nt o e c o l o g i c a l d i s a s t e r s s uc h a s t he 6 4 . 0 0 0 he c t a r e s of forest fire ha p p e ne d i n K a l i m a nt a n o n J ul y 2 0 2 0 d ue t o l a nd c l e a r i ng a nd p e a t d r y i ng f o r b us i ne s s p ur p o s e whi c h l e a d s t o hug e loss of l i v i ng biodiversity, a nd air p o l l ut i o n t ha t i m p a c t s t he f ul f i l l m e nt r i g ht o f hum a n f o r a c l e a n a nd he a l t hy e nv i r o nm e nt .

ALSA MAGAZINE 68

N e v e rt h el e s s , t he l a t e s t a m e n d m e nt o f a rt ic l e 1 8 o f L a w N o. 4 1 Y e ar 1 9 9 9 o n F o r e st r y i n 2 0 2 0 w hi c h e l i m i n at e d t he o bl i g at io n for r e gi o n al g o v e r n m e nt t o p r e s e r ve 3 0 % o f i ts f o r e st c o v e r a ge i n t h ei r r e s p e ct iv e r e gi o n h as o p e n ed o p p o rt u ni t ie s f o r m a s s d ef o r e st a t i o n, w h e re i t s h al l b e c o me a m o m e nt um t o us t o b e a w a re a nd t o t a k e a ct io n f o r t he b et te r a nd s u s t a i n ab l e e n vi r o n m e nt t h at r e s ul ts i nt o a p o si t iv e i m pa ct t o t he f ul f i l lm e nt o f h u m an r i g ht s i ts e l f

L a s t ly , i t i s t he t im e f o r us t o r e d e si g n o ur m i n d s et a nd p ol i c i e s b y p ut t ing o ur b a s el i ne o f c o n si d e r at io n t o b al a n ce b et w e en h u m an r i g ht s a nd t he f u n d a m e nt a l p ri n ci p l e s o f e c ol o gi c al j u s t ic e. B e c a u se a t t he e nd o f t he d a y, o ur f ut u re g e n e r at io n a l s o h as t he r i g ht t o e nj o y a s a f e , c l e a n, h e al thy e n vi r o n m e nt , t o e nj o y t he b e a ut y o f t he e n vi r o n m e nt wi th i ts l i v i ng b i o di v e r si ty , a nd t o c o nt in ue t he s p i r i t o f p r e s e r vi ng a s u s t a i n a bl e e n vi r o n m e nt .

ENVIRONMENTAL FALLACY OF INDONESIA’S OMNIBUS LAW ON JOB CREATION WRITTEN BY : AULIA SHIFA HAMIDA ALSA INDONESIA

ALSA MAGAZINE 70

In October 2020, the People’s R epres entative C ouncil of Indones ia enacted Law No. 1 1 of 2 0 2 0 on J ob C reation, als o known as Omnibus Law, due to its divers if ied articles which cover regulations ranging f rom adminis trative ref orms to bus ines s permits . A s indicated by its name, the law aims to boos t job creation in many s ectors by amending, adding, removing, and merging s ome claus es that were regarded as inef f ective and inef f icient in creating job opportunities . Even though the law is believed to be ef f ective in increas ing Indones ia’s Eas e of Doing Bus ines s Index and in enhancing its inves tment climate by means of the trickle down ef f ect, one of the concerning elements of the law is the amendment to Law No. 32 of 2 0 0 9 concerning the Protection and Management of the Environment ( PPLH Law) pertaining to the eas ing of environmental permits and environmental impact as s es s ment.

A rticle 2 6 to PPLH Law managed to accommodate inclus ive public participation in the making of an environmental impact as s es s ment ( A MDA L) document, which cons is ted of people with great extent of being inf licted by the environmental cas ualties ; environmental obs ervers ; and thos e who will be af f ected by any decis ions regarding the environmental impact as s es s ment proces s .

Nevertheles s , Law 1 1 / 2 0 2 0 excludes the two latter parties . Furthermore, the Omnibus Law made s weeping changes to the legal mechanis m f or f iling a laws uit agains t the A MDA L document where the right to rais e objection was guaranteed in PPLH Law- now the provis ion has been res cinded.

T he Omnibus Law on J ob C reation has trans f ormed the bargaining power of many s takeholders , es pecially environmental activis ts and obs ervers , to be vague. Law No. 1 1 / 2 0 2 0 not only harms the environmental rights of the people, but it als o ref lects Indones ia’s compromis ing s tance on maintaining its environmental s us tainability. T his legal f ramework can carry cons iderable inf luence over how companies will s et their environmental commitment, and will hold back the pros pective inves tors who are putting the green economy on their high agenda. T he abs ence of s trict environmental regulation will lead to an environmentally compromis ing corporate citizens hip.

W hile independent environmental obs ervers and indigenous people with cons iderable vulnerability are los ing their bargaining power and rights to retain their bas ic environmental rights , companies are given even loos er obligations in the name of boos ting the economy. Government and lawmakers mus t review their policy and companies mus t leverage their comparative advantage to pres s ure the government to res cind the current regulation and replace them with one that is s ocially inclus ive and environmentally res pons ible.

Pres ident J oko W idodo mus t realize that the inters ection between a green economy and a res pons ible inves tment ecos ys tem that coexis t peacef ully will do the country more good than harm, both economically and environmentally. By doing s o, the s tate can be s aid to s ucces s f ully accommodate the interes ts of thos e whos e motives are organizational prof it and public interes t.

Both government and private companies do s hare both the s ame burden, that is to s ay, the aggregate externalities of an ever- changing world and the s ame res pons ibilities , that is to s ay, to be prof it- maximizing without having to be at the expens e of the public interes t- becaus e to be prof itmaximizing entails another moralimpos ed obligation: T o be s ocially res pons ible.

71 ALSA MAGAZINE

A La n d F ir e C r im e s J o i n t D e c r e e : B ra c e f o r H u m a n R i gh t s ?

WRITTEN BY : GABBY AGNESYA, ALSA INDONESIA

Photo by PPID Minis ter of Environment and Fores try, Siti Nurbaya, s igned a J oint Decree ( Surat Keputus an Bers ama or SKB) f or Integrated Law Enf orcement f or f ores t crimes and/ or land f ires . T his decree was als o s igned by the C hief of the Indones ian National Police ( Kapolri) Lis tyo Sigit, and the A ttorney General of the R epublic of Indones ia ST Burhanuddin ( 6/ 5/ 2021) .

Bas ed on the C ons titutional C ourt's decis ion, the SKB emphas ized the need f or integrated law enf orcement to combat f ores t and land f ires which means involving multiple parties .

Meanwhile, Minis ter Siti revealed that the s igning of this joint regulation is very important as an integrated ef f ort to build a s ynergis tic commitment and as a res pons ive and proactive s tep in enf orcing environmental law as mandated in A rticle 9 5 ( 1 ) of Law Number 32 of 2 0 0 9 concerning Protection of Environmental Protection and Environmental Management and C ons titutional C ourt Decis ion Number 1 8 / PUU- X II/ 2 0 1 4 .

T his SKB is als o a manif es tation of the s tate's pres ence in an ef f ort to pres erve the environment and provide community welf are. Law No. 39 of 1 9 9 9 on Human R ights through its A rticle 9 ( 3) s tipulates that everyone is entitled to a good and healthy environment.

ALSA MAGAZINE 72

T hi s S K B i s i s s ue d i n o r d e r t o m a k e s ur e t ha t t he r i g ht i s p r o t e c t e d t hr o ug h r i g o r o us a nd c o l l a b o r a t i v e l a w e nf o r c e m e nt . T he r i g ht t o a g o o d a nd he a l t hy e nv i r o nm e nt i s o ne f o r m o f hum a n r i g ht s a s r e g ul a t e d i n t he 1 9 4 5 I nd o ne s i a n C o ns t i t ut i o n. L a w N um b e r 3 2 o f 2 0 0 9 o n E nv i r o nm e nt a l Protection a nd M a na g e m e nt also s t i p ul a t e s t ha t e v e r y o ne ha s t he r i g ht t o a g o o d a nd he a l t hy e nv i r o nm e nt . T hi s S K B e ns ur e s t ha t a ny o ne who d a r e s t o v i o l a t e o ne ’s r i g ht s o v e r a he a l t hy e nv i r o nm e nt c a n b e c r i m i na l l y t r i e d b y t he c o l l a b o r a t i v e e f f o r t o f t he j o i nt m i ni s t r i e s .

T he S K B r e g ul a t i o n r e g a r d i ng t he r i g ht t o a g o o d a nd he a l t hy e nv i r o nm e nt i s a l s o b a l a nc e d wi t h t he c o m m uni t y ' s o b l i g a t i o n t o t he e nv i r o nm e nt . T he r e g ul a t i o n o f r i g ht s a nd o b l i g a t i o ns o n t he e nv i r o nm e nt i s a c c o m p a ni e d b y a s p a c e f o r t he c o m m uni t y t o p a r t i c i p a t e i n e nv i r o nm e nt a l m a na g e m e nt . I n a d d i t i o n, t he b a s i s f o r c o m m uni t y i nv o l v e m e nt i n e nv i r o nm e nt a l m a na g e m e nt i s b a s e d o n A r t i c l e 2 o f L a w N um b e r 3 2 o f 2 0 0 9 , whi c h r e g ul a t e s t he p r i nc i p l e s o f e nv i r o nm e nt a l p r o t e c t i o n a nd m a na g e m e nt .

T he SKB wi l l d e f i ni t e l y up ho l d t hi s p r i nc i p l e t o i t s ut m o s t e x t e nt .

Photo by Filip Zrnzević on Unsplash

SEMARANG SATPOL PP DOUSING PEOPLE’S SHOPS WITH A FIRE TRUCK: AN EXCESSIVE ACT OR A NECESSITY? WRITTEN BY : AMIRA NADINE WIDHI Dur i ng J ul y 3 r d - 2 0 t h, I nd o ne s i a i m p l e m e nt e d a s t r i c t e r p o l i c y c a l l e d t he E nf o r c e m e nt o f E m e r g e nc y C o m m uni t y A c t i v i t y R e s t r i c t i o ns ( P P K M d a r ur a t ) t o s up p r e s s t he s p r e a d o f C o v i d - 1 9 . S e v e r a l r e s t r i c t i o ns we r e e s t a b l i s he d , s uc h a s r e s t r i c t i o ns o n o p e r a t i ng ho ur s f o r s ho p s .

T o t a k e a c t i o n a g a i ns t v i o l a t o r s o f t hi s r ul e , t he c e nt r a l g o v e r nm e nt ha nd s i t o v e r t o l o c a l g o v e r nm e nt s . I n S e m a r a ng C i t y , C e nt r a l J ava, t he i m p l e m e nt a t i o n of e m e r g e nc y P P K M i s stated in Mayor R e g ul a t i o n ( P e r wa l k o t ) N o . 4 1 o f 2 0 2 1 .

H o we v e r , i t ha s o nl y b e e n t hr e e d a y s s i nc e its e s t a b l i s hm e nt , t he wa r ung _ j ur na l i s I ns t a g r a m a c c o unt ha s p ub l i s he d a v i d e o o f t he S a t p o l P P r a i d i ng v i o l a t o r s o f t he PPKM r e s t r i c t i o ns in t he Mijen area, S e m a r a ng C i t y . T he v i d e o we nt v i r a l o n s o c i a l m e d i a b e c a us e i t s ho we d t he m d o us i ng p e o p l e ' s b us i ne s s s ho p s wi t h a f i r e t r uc k .

A r t i c l e 7 l e t t e r C o f G o v e r nm e nt R ul e ( P P ) N o . 1 6 o f 2 0 1 8 c o nc e r ni ng t he M uni c i p a l P o l i c e U ni t ( S a t p o l P P ) s t a t e s t ha t S a t p o l P P ha s t he a ut ho r i t y t o i nv e s t i g a t e p a r t i e s s us p e c t e d of v i o l a t i ng R e g i o na l R e g ul a t i o ns a nd / o r Head R egion R e g ul a t i o ns . I n c a r r y i ng o ut t he i r d ut i e s , A r t i c l e 2 0 l e t t e r s A a nd B o b l i g e S a t p o l P P t o up ho l d hum a n r i g ht s a nd o b e y l a ws a nd r e g ul a t i o ns a nd c o d e s o f e t hi c s , a s we l l a s r e l i g i o us a nd e t hi c a l v a l ue s . A s a f o r m o f e nf o r c e m e nt o f P e r wa l k o t N o . 4 1 / 2 0 2 1 whi c h r e q ui r e s s ho p s t o s t o p o p e r a t i ng a t 8 P M l o c a l t i m e , t he S a t p o l P P r a i d s v i o l a t o r s o f t he r e g ul a t i o n.

ALSA MAGAZINE 74

H o we v e r , t he m e t ho d us e d i s no t c o ns e q ue nt wi t h A r t i c l e 2 0 l e t t e r A o f t he P P N o . 1 6 o f 2 0 1 8 b e c a us e t he i r a c t i o n ha s v i o l a t e d A r t i c l e 3 8 p a r a g r a p h 1 o f L a w N o . 3 9 o f 1 9 9 9 c o nc e r ni ng H um a n R i g ht s . T he a r t i c l e s t a t e d t ha t e v e r y c i t i z e n ha s t he r i g ht t o ha v e a p r o p e r j o b b a s e d o n t he i r c a p a b i l i t y a nd c o m p e t e nc y .

T he d o us i ng b y S e m a r a ng S a t p o l P P ha s m a d e i t i m p o s s i b l e f o r t he s ho p o wne r s t o m a i nt a i n t he i r i nc o m e , t he r e f o r e t he y c a nno t ha v e a p r o p e r j o b . I n a d d i t i o n, t he d o us i ng a l s o v i o l a t e s A r t i c l e 2 0 l e t t e r B b e c a us e t he S a t p o l P P d o e s no t r e f l e c t t he r e l i g i o us a nd e t hi c a l v a l ue s o f t he I nd o ne s i a n c o m m uni t y t ha t prioritize k i ns hi p a nd peace.

I nd o ne s i a ’s M i ni s t r y o f Do m e s t i c A f f a i r s ha s e v e n i s s ue d a C i r c ul a r Letter No. 440/ 3929/ SJ t ha t i ns t r uc t e d S a t p o l P P t o us e a p r o f e s s i o na l , hum a ni s t , a nd p e r s ua s i v e approach to e nf o r c e t he P P K M r e g ul a t i o n.

A l t ho ug h c i t i z e ns who a r e v i c t i m s o f d o us i ng a r e no t i nno c e nt , c o ns i d e r i ng t he y i nd e e d v i o l a t i ng t he P P K M r e g ul a t i o n, o n t he o t he r ha nd , t he b r ut a l i t y o f t he e nf o r c e m e nt a c t i o ns c a r r i e d o ut b y t he S a t p o l P P c a nno t b e j us t i f i e d . T hi s d o us i ng a c t i o n no t o nl y v i o l a t e s hum a n r i g ht s b ut a l s o d o e s no t r e f l e c t t he c ul t ur a l a nd e t hi c a l v a l ue s o f t he I nd o ne s i a n p e o p l e . I n e nf o r c i ng r e g ul a t i o ns , S a t p o l P P s ho ul d p r i o r i t i z e a p e r s ua s i v e a nd hum a ni s t a p p r o a c h t ha t i s m o r e a p p r o p r i a t e a nd s ui t a b l e wi t h t he c ul t ur a l a nd e t hi c a l v a l ue s o f t he c o m m uni t y . B y t hi s , i t i s und e ni a b l e t ha t b o t h p a r t i e s a r e i n t he wr o ng . T hus , i n y o ur o p i ni o n, i s t he d o us i ng b y S a t p o l P P a n e x c e s s i v e a c t i v i t y , o r i s i t ne c e s s a r y ?

Literature Review

DISCRIMINATION TOWARDS THE BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES AS PORTRAYED THROUGH BLUE LIGHTS

BY JORJA SMITH WRITTEN BY ADILA SABRINA SAID ALSA INDONESIA

Discrimination by the police towards the Black and Brown communities is highlighted through the song Blue Lights

by Jorja Smith. After listening to Dizzee Rascal’s song titled Sirens which highlights police brutality, Smith started asking her friends (who are part of the Black and Brown communities) whether they have experienced it as well.

Many of her friends answered that police brutality has become a part of their daily lives and that they are used to fearing the police although the police are supposed to protect them. Smith’s partJamaican heritage gives her a sense of belonging and empathy towards the Black and Brown communities. The conflict between expectation and reality in how the Black and Brown communities are treated is pictured through the lyrics of Blue Lights.

In the song's opening, Smith sings, “I wanna turn those blue lights into strobe lights, not blue flashing lights, maybe fairy lights,” highlighting her wanting to change the impression of the police not as something to be feared or as a threat.

The blue flashing lights are a representation of the lightbar on the roof of police cars.

The song continues with “Don't you run when you hear the sirens coming, when you hear the sirens coming you'd better not run.” This highlights Smith’s frustration with what the Black and Brown communities have to go through.

This also shows how the fear towards the police due to their discrimination is deep-rooted, evidenced by how the Black and Brown communities instinctively think that they are at fault and that they must run away immediately when they hear police sirens.

ALSA MAGAZINE 78

Photo by Colin Lloyd on Unsplash

“What have you done? You went to school that day, was a bit late, but it wasn't Monday, kept after class for answering back, you apologized, ain't no harm in that.” These lines show that while being late to school or answering back to the teacher might be wrong, these actions cannot be classified as criminal acts deserving of being punished by the police.

“If you've done nothing wrong, blue lights should just pass you by.” This part is Smith’s way of encouraging those who fear the police to slowly change their perception because in reality, the police should not harm you if you have not done anything wrong. The song continues with “Hands you the tool as you question your friendship,” which demonstrates how people may have been approached by those around them to become to take part in criminal acts and they might be pressured to give in for the sake of friendship. “Blood on my hands, but I don't know where it's from.” This line shows how similar appearances could create suspicions due to racial stereotyping.

Smith ends the song by going back to the very first line of her song, “Don't you run when you hear the sirens coming,” to show how everyone should really feel towards the police.

Smith uses an excellent choice of words throughout the song to successfully deliver her frustrations and a strong message to her listeners. Overall, this song acts as a reality check to her listeners about police brutality and discrimination towards minority groups based on Smith’s real-life experience.

The reality is that the Black and Brown communities experience discrimination and injustice from a very young age as explicitly portrayed in Smith’s lyrics, “Your boy sounds rush, fears for his adolescent.” It is disheartening and disappointing that people are still being judged and discriminated against based on their skin colour.

The lyrics then take a sharp turn with “You'd better run when you hear the sirens coming.” This line changes the flow of the song from thinking based on expectations in an ideal world to adapting to reality after actually facing the real world.

“Better run when you hear the sirens coming, cause they will be coming for you” emphasizes this. This part marks the pinnacle of the frustrations of the Black and Brown communities in facing various discriminations which are very different from their ideal expectations.

ALSA MAGAZINE 79

Photo from @ nct127 Instagram

NCT: “Save Your World” WRITTEN BY : MELFIN ANGGUN FAZIRAH ALSA INDONESIA T he C O V I D- 1 9 p a nd e m i c ha s ha d v a r i o us i m p a c t s o n t he g l o b a l e nv i r o nm e nt . T he positive impacts are marked by a r e d uc t i o n i n g r e e nho us e g a s e m i s s i o ns , a n i nc r e a s e i n t he q ua l i t y o f wa t e r a nd ur b a n a r e a s , a s we l l a s a n i nc r e a s e i n b i o d i v e r s i t y . O n t he o t he r ha nd , t he ne g a t i v e i m p a c t i s m a i nl y f e l t i n t he wa s t e a nd f o r e s t r y s e c t o r s . T he a m o unt o f p l a s t i c a nd m e d i c a l wa s t e p r o d uc e d is i nc r e a s i ng in c o nj unc t i o n wi t h d e f o r e s t a t i o n.

A g r o up t ha t ha s b e e n i ns t r um e nt a l i n s he d d i ng l i g ht o n g l o b a l c o ns e r v a t i o n i s no ne o t he r t ha n ‘N C T ’. A n a c r o ny m f o r “N e o C ul t ur e T e c hno l o g y ” N C T i s a ne w c o nc e p t i v e K - p o p g r o up t ha t s c a t t e r a r o und t he globe wi t h v a r i o us p r o m o t i o ns und e r a us p i c e s of SM E nt e r t a i nm e nt . T he y a r e b e s t k no wn f o r b e i ng a b l e t o ha v e a n unl i m i t e d num b e r o f m e m b e r s a nd s ub - uni t s . S i nc e t he g r o up ’s i ni t i a l i nt r o d uc t i o n by t he i r na t i v e l a b e l s f o und e r i n J a nua r y 2 0 1 6 , t he g r o up c o ns i s t s o f 2 3 m e m b e r s a s o f A p r i l 2 0 2 1 . N C T no w ha v e t hr e e d i s t i nc t teams: primarily, Global team NCT 127 , Yo ut hf ul N C T Dr e a m a nd C hi na - o r i e nt e d WayV.

Save this moment. Save the wild. Save environment. Save the world

I n J une 2 0 2 1 , N C T 1 2 7 c o l l a b o r a t e d wi t h A m o e b a C ul t ur e f o r t he i r l a t e s t s i ng l e , ‘S a v e ’ c o m p o s e d b y G a e k o a nd P hi l t r e a nd wr i t t e n b y G a e k o , C ho i z a , a nd T H A M A . ' S a v e ’ c o nt a i ns a m e s s a g e a b o ut s a v i ng v a r i o us v a l ua b l e a s p e c t s . I t c a n b e i nt e r p r e t e d a s l o v e , m e m o r i e s , d r e a m s , f ut ur e a nd e v e n p l a ne t E a r t h.

Set in a ne o n- l i t s p a c e s hi p decorated wi t h v a r i o us t y p e s o f p l a nt s , t he c o nno t a t i o n o f t hi s s o ng i t s e l f i s t o i nv i t e us t o a l wa y s t a k e c a r e o f t he e nv i r o nm e nt . T he v i d e o c l i p a l s o f e a t ur e s a p l a c a r d t ha t r e a d s : “S a v e t hi s m o m e nt . S a v e t he wi l d .

S a v e e nv i r o nm e nt .

S a v e t he wo r l d . ”

Saving you, saving me.

In the future memories.

W e c a n o nl y ho p e t ha t t he e a r t h wi l l be accorded better protection as t he r e i s a n i nf l ux o f g o o d ne ws a b o ut bettered e nv i r o nm e nt a l c o nd i t i o ns a f t e r t he p a nd e m i c . H o we v e r , we m us t r e m e m b e r t ha t i t i s no t o nl y a b o ut t he p r e s e nt , b ut t he s t a t e o f t he e a r t h a nd t he e nv i r o nm e nt in t he f ut ur e .

A d d i t i o na l l y , t hi s s o ng i nv i t e s l i s t e ne r s t o c a r e a b o ut s p a c e a nd t i m e a s we l l a s m e m o r i e s a r o und us , whi c h m a y b e forgotten i ns t a nt a ne o us l y .

O ne e x a m p l e o f s uc h m e m o r i e s i s na t ur e a nd t he e a r t h. W e d o no t j us t e nj o y t he s e m e m o r i e s f o r a whi l e , b ut f o r g e ne r a t i o ns t o c o m e .

ALSA MAGAZINE 81

Music Review: 'Suara'

By GAC WRITTEN BY : DINDI KURNIA MAHARANI ALSA INDONESIA

G A C G r o up i s a g r o up c o ns i s t i ng o f 3 m e m b e r s , G a m a l i e l , A ud r e y , a nd C a nt i k a c o m i ng from I nd o ne s i a whe r e t he y r e l e a s e d a s i ng l e t i t l e d “S ua r a ' ' i n 2 0 1 7 .

T hi s s o ng i nv o l v e s t wo m us i c i a ns f r o m S we d e n, L ud wi g L i nd e l l a nd Da ni e l C a e s a r , a s t he c o m p o s e r o f t he s o ng .

T he s o ng " S ua r a ' ' i s a n R nB g e nr e , t he o r i g i na l g e nr e o f t he b a nd i t s e l f . T he s o ng o nl y t o o k t wo d a y s t o m a k e b ut i t ha s a v a l ua b l e m e a ni ng a nd i ns p i r e s m a ny p e o p l e b e c a us e i t r e l a t e s t o f r e e d o m o f e x p r e s s i o n a nd t hi s s o ng c o nv i nc e d m a ny l i s t e ne r s c o nc e r ni ng t he m e a ni ng o f d i v e r s i t y .

82 ALSA MAGAZINE

T he wo r k s o f G A C a l wa y s b r i ng a l o t o f p o s i t i v e r e s p o ns e s f r o m m us i c l o v e r s .

T hi s i s p r e d i c t a b l e b e c a us e t he wo r k s o f G A C a r e c ha r m i ng a nd r e l a t a b l e t o e v e r y d a y l i f e s o t ha t t he s e wo r k s c a n b e we l l received a m o ng t he p ub l i c , e s p e c i a l l y t e e na g e r s . I n a d d i t i o n, d ur i ng t he 2 0 1 7 A nug e r a h M us i k I nd o ne s i a ( A M I ) ni g ht , t he y e a r i n whi c h t he s i ng l e “S ua r a ” wa s r e l e a s e d , G A C wo n t hr e e c a t e g o r i e s o ut o f e i g ht no m i na t i o ns i nc l ud i ng B e s t P o p C o l l a b o r a t i o n, V o c a l G r o up P r o d uc t i o n Work, a nd Fi l m S o und t r a c k P r o d uc t i o n W o r k .

Dan kini t'lah ku tetapkan Yakin aku mengungkapkan Naluriku, naluriku Tak ada yang sia-sia Suaraku Perlahan menggantikan yang terdahulu Terdiam, menantikan bagai berlalu Suaramu Tak akan dapat tergantikan Suaraku, suaraku, suaraku Suaraku, suaraku, suaraku” Potongan lirik dari “Suara” - GAC Gamaliel, GA C 's male vocalis t, s aid that the meaning behind the s ong "Suara" is to provide motivation and enthus ias m regarding our individuality in terms of s peaking up f or ours elves and it is irreplaceable f or s omeone to s peak up as ide f rom ours elves . "Our voice is our voice, a voice to convey what our as pirations are," s aid Gamal as quoted f rom KumparanHits webs ite.

T his R nB genre s ong is packed with a cheerf ul arrangement that turns out to have a deep meaning, es pecially regarding f reedom of s peech and res pect f or divers ity. Freedom of s peech which is part of human rights is a right that has exis ted s ince humans were born and cannot be contes ted by anyone. However, it is not uncommon to f ind that there are s till many people who are reluctant to voice their opinions becaus e they are af raid of dif f erences that aris e.

In this modern democracy, f reedom of s peech of ten collides with exis ting norms . In addition, the opinions expres s ed may not be in accordance with our expectations s o that only a f ew people can accept and unders tand thes e dif f erences of opinion.

It is undeniable, in the 2 1 s t century, f reedom of s peech can be equated to a double- edged s word, which can be a challenge as well as provide many pos itive impacts by s tarting to realize the rights in f reedom of s peech. In the video clip that was uploaded to GA C 's of f icial YouT ube account, which contains a valuable mes s age that is relatable to the implementation of f reedom of s peech. A s in the opening trailer in the video clip, which s hows s everal opinions f rom Indones ian public f igures who emphas ize the importance of res pecting

And now I have decided Sure I reveal My instinct, my instinct Nothing is wasted my voice Slowly replacing the previous one Silent, waiting for it to pass Your voice Can't be replaced My voice, my voice, my voice My voice, my voice, my voice” Translated lyrics from “Suara” - GAC exis ting dif f erences and divers ity, appreciating dif f erences f rom any individual, and providing a point of view to unders tand the meaning of divers ity.

“Divers ity is not a burden, but it's a Gods end f or us to live harmonious ly in love, res pect, and tolerance. It s addened me, how nowadays I s ee many individuals are af raid to be thems elves , af raid to be dif f erent, and af raid to expres s their trues t thoughts . T o be critical in perceiving dif f erences , does n't mean to divide. Here now I mus t learn to unders tand the weaknes s and to appreciate the s trength of one another. It gives pers pectives to unders tand more on the es s ence of divers ity” - Quotes f rom Nauf al A bs har, T akun A rros id, and A yudia Bing Slamet in the video clip “Suara” - GA C , in 0 . 1 7 - 0 . 5 1 s econds .

T he video clip is f illed with a s imple concept, of f ering energetic vocal techniques , and has a moral mes s age that conf irms we will never be alone. T he divers ity that exis ts is created to develop us into individuals who can better unders tand and appreciate this divers ity.

Freedom of s peech is an important part of a democracy. In Democracy, it includes pillars that emphas ize anyone has the right to expres s an opinion. However, as a good s ociety, we mus t s peak wis ely, bas ed on accurate f acts , and not hurt each other which violates human rights .

By implementing this , it will minimize the divis ions caus ed by the exis ting divers ity then, all individuals can live in harmony and their rights will be as s ured.

ALSA MAGAZINE 83

Movie Review

FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER : A HORRIFIC HISTORY LESSON WRITTEN BY : NABILAH PUTRI AULIA RAHMAN ALSA INDONESIA Fi r s t T he y K i l l e d M y Fa t he r i s a m o v i e whi c h i s b a s e d o n a t r ue s t o r y a nd r e l e a s e d i n 2 0 1 7 . T hi s m o v i e wa s s e t i n 1 9 7 5 , whi c h t e l l s a s t o r y a b o ut t he c r ue l a nd s i ni s t e r hi s t o r y o f t he K hm e r R o ug e . A ng e l i na J o l i e i s t he d i r e c t o r b e hi nd t hi s m o v i e , a s we l l a s t he wr i t e r a l o ng wi t h he r b e s t f r i e nd , L o ung U ng , A C a m b o d i a n H um a n R i g ht s A c t i v i s t . L o ung U ng i s o ne o f t he l i v i ng wi t ne s s e s o f t he e v e nt s d ur i ng t he K hm e r R o ug e a nd s he p o r t r a y s he r s e l f a s t he m a i n c ha r a c t e r i n t hi s m o v i e whe r e s he p l a y s a r o l e a s l i t t l e L o ung U ng .

84 ALSA MAGAZINE

T he movie tells a s tory of a 7 - year- old girl who is f orced to become a child s oldier and to s erve the Khmer R ouge regime. A lthough with the long duration of the movie, the movie is worth the watch f or its reas ons . T he exis ting mys tery this movie has pres ented an unpredictable plot that intrigued audience’s attention by being neutral along the s toryline that is going on throughout the movie.

It includes various as pects that are open to interpretation; not only through the dialogues but als o the events happening and experienced by the characters . In s hort, the characterization made in this movie is trans parent to the point that the audience can unders tand what is going on during the event by the beauty of the characters ' expres s ions .

W hat makes this movie unique is due to the f act that it involves its own vers ion of reality. T he point of view to be taken in this movie is particularly not s tandardis ed by the lens of adults ; ins tead it is taken f rom the lens of an innocent little girl. . T he little girl, Loung Ung in this movie does not have much dialogue, however, the s tory is unders tandable by the ges tures through expres s ions , gazes , tears , breaths , and other things . T hus , her acting s tays alive and well.

T he Khmer R ouge is an extremely paranoid, xenophobic, racis t regime that s eeks to rid C ambodia of all outs ide inf luence or s o- called as “ethnic pois on. ” A s a child with no broader unders tanding of the his torical or political is s ues that lead to the ris e of the Khmer R ouge regime, Loung Ung f requently ques tions the rationale behind the A ngkar’s brutality, only to f ind that there really is none.

I n t hi s wa y , he r i nno c e nc e hi g hl i g ht s t he a b s ur d i t y o f ha t i ng p e o p l e o n t he b a s i s o f t he i r e t hni c i t y .

Lastly, o ne of t he p r e s e nt a b l e m o m e nt s t ha t wa s s ho wn b y t hi s m o v i e wa s t he s c e ne o f L uo ng U ng s ho wi ng a s m i l e f o r he r s m i l e s i g ni f i e s a s a c r uc i a l e x p r e s s i o n a m i d s t t he d e s t r uc t i o n ha p p e ni ng s ur r o und i ng he r a s i t s ho ws t ha t s m a l l ha p p i ne s s i s s t i l l a ha p p i ne s s o v e r a l l .

H e nc e , t hi s s m a l l ha p p i ne s s a nd e v e n t hi s s m i l e r e p r e s e nt s o ne ’s e m o t i o n t o b e g r a t e f ul o v e r t he s m a l l t hi ng s t ha t a r e a c c o unt a b l e f o r ha p p i ne s s .

ALSA MAGAZINE 85

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

2020/2021