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"The deliberation was careful enough until the end. All factions paid attention to workers' rights
in the decision-making process," the Gerindra Party politician said.
A number of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's Cabinet members were present during the
plenary, including Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto, Finance Minister Sri
Mulyani Indrawati, Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah, Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna
Laoly and Home Minister Tito Karnavian.

Airlangga said the law was necessary as the country needed to increase employment and improve
the business climate following the pandemic.

"We are now working to handle COVID-19, which has had a significant impact on the global and
national economy. There were 43,600 regulations that needed to be sorted out before the
pandemic and our competitiveness is also lagging behind in ASEAN," Airlangga, who is also the
Golkar Party chairman, said.

The law is also seen as necessary by the government since the country's economy shrank by
5.32 percent in the second quarter this year, and is widely expected to record the first economic
contraction since the 1998 Asian financial crisis this year.

Police telegram urges control over protests against controversial jobs bill Seven House factions
have conveyed their approval of the bill, which is one of Airlangga's flagship programs, namely
the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Golkar, Gerindra, the NasDem Party, the
National Awakening Party (PKB), the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the United Development
Party (PPP).

Two other factions - the Democratic Party and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) - have rejected
to the bill, with the former walking out of the plenary meeting.

"Delay the bill. Look at the public opposition everywhere. The workers are suffering a lot from
the COVID-19 crisis," Didik Mukrianto of the Democratic Party said.

Ahead of Monday's plenary, social media users expressed their frustrations over the bill by writing
posts with the hashtags #DPRRIKhianatiRakyat (#HouseBetraysThePeople),
#BatalkanOmnibusLaw (#CancelTheOmnibusLaw) and #MosiTidakPercaya
(#VoteOfNoConfidence).

Civil society organizations, grouped in a coalition calling itself the Indonesian People's Faction
(FRI), have also voiced their disappointment, saying the state has turned a blind eye to popular
opposition to the controversial bill, which the FRI believes only accommodates business interests.

Among the coalition members are several labor groups, student organizations and NGOs,
including the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI), the Mining and Advocacy Network (JATAM),
the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), the Indonesian People's Coalition for
Fisheries Justice (KIARA) and the Indigenous People's Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN).

"We've [issued] a vote of no confidence. The people demand an end to the deliberation and a
cancellation of the job creation bill. The government and House have betrayed the people and
the 1945 Constitution," the coalition said in a written statement on Monday.

Labor groups on the same day held protests against the bill in several locations as the police
prevented them holding a mass rally in front of the House compound in Senayan, Central
Jakarta..

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