In this episode, we interview Dr. Colin Brown, a Adjunct Professor in the Griffith Asia Institute at Griffith University in Brisbane to talked about the Indonesia's parliament has passed controversial new criminal laws that ban cohabitation between unmarried couples and expand its law against blasphemy.
The new laws, which apply to Indonesians and foreigners alike, also include penalties for criticising the president, and spreading views counter to the secular national ideology, known as the Pancasila will also be outlawed.
Legal experts and civil society groups say the changes are a "huge setback" for the southeast Asian nation.
Our guest was a Professor in the Department of International Relations, Parahyangan Catholic University in Bandung, Indonesia. He was previously Dean of the Faculty of Media, Society and Culture at Curtin University of Technology in Perth. He has worked at several other Australian universities, and at Gadjah Mada University in Jogjakarta, Indonesia.
Is Indonesia going backwards ?