The expert committee of the House of Representatives Legislation Body (Baleg) explained the philosophical, sociological, and juridical basis of the Bill in detail at a hearing held by the House.
- Philosophical: Every citizen has the right to a good, healthy, and physically and mentally prosperous environment that promotes human rights guaranteed by the state to protect the lives of all Indonesians based on the 1945 Constitution.
- Sociological: The bill is an endeavor to achieve a sound and healthy living environment by curbing intake of alcoholic beverages that have a negative impact on health and can potentially impact public order, peace, and security as well as reduce the quality of the nation’s competitiveness.
- Juridical: Regulation of alcoholic beverages is currently still scattered across various regulations, as no single regulation exists that comprehensively regulates alcoholic beverages.
The expert committee also explained the following topics regarding alcohol regulation at the hearing:
- The content of the Alcoholic Beverages regulation that encompasses the definition of alcoholic beverages, type, class and alcohol content.
- Establishment of an alcoholic beverage industry, production, licensing, and production mechanism.
- Restrictions on the imports of alcoholic beverages from overseas.
- Local alcoholic beverage development support.
- Alcoholic beverage distribution and trade.
- Excise and alcohol tax.
- Monitoring and handling of the effects of alcoholic beverages.
In mid-March the United Development Party (PPP) urged the House of Representatives (DPR) and the national government to start discussions on the Ban on Alcoholic Beverages Bill. Following this the House decided on April 5, 2021 to form a working committee to focus on the bill.
The bill was put on hold in 2016 and revoked by Indonesian lawmakers in 2020. It is one of Indonesia’s priority national legislation programs for 2021. According to the secretary of the PPP the bill aims to create public order, and to reduce the negative impact of alcohol on health, society, and lives.
Earlier in March, wide protests led President Joko Widodo to revoke Presidential Regulation Number 10 of 2021 regarding investment in business fields, including the licensing of investments in the alcohol industry.
Alcohol policy in Indonesia
Almost three quarters of Indonesian people live alcohol free. Despite being mostly alcohol-free, Indonesians still suffer from significant alcohol harm. As the World Health Organization reports, in Indonesia the products and practices of the alcohol industry cause:
- 9500+ deaths from liver cirrhosis,
- 4700+ deaths from road traffic injury, and
- 2400+ deaths from cancer.
One of the major gaps in the Indonesian alcohol policy is the lack of a blood alcohol content (BAC) level to prevent driving under the influence of alcohol. The lack of warning labels and a monitoring system are additional flaws of Indonesia’s current alcohol policy. Some alcohol availability policies can also be improved to better protect Indonesian people from harm.
Sources
Antara News: “House’s Legislative Body establishes Committee on alcohol ban bill“
Antara News: “PPP calls for immediate deliberations on anti-liquor bill“
