The new code, which also applies to foreign residents and tourists, bans cohabitation before marriage, apostasy, and provides punishments for insulting the president or expressing views counter to the national ideology.
"All have agreed to ratify the (draft changes) into law," said lawmaker Bambang Wuryanto, who led the parliamentary commission in charge of revising the colonial-era code. "The old code belongs to Dutch heritage ... and is no longer relevant."
Comment: This is a rather revealing statement, because this reform has been in the works for years but struggled to pass until now, and it follows quickly on the heels of global trend of nations across the planet bucking Western pressure and finally asserting their own autonomy. And the West can't complain, it had the opportunity to act as a positive role model - and perhaps it did, for a while - however it's quite clear now that not even citizens of the West agree with where their society and culture is heading.
Comment: See also: