Sharia law will hurt investment in Indonesia
A study group has concluded that introducing Sharia law in Indonesia, will harm foreign investment. God, these guys are smart! Whoever would of guessed, that forbidding women to go out at night, banning alcohol, nightclubs, and generally making the place hard to live in, would affect business?
Here’s more from the Jakarta Post.
Sharia laws could hurt investment, EU MPs say
Avian E. Tumengkol, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The implementation of sharia-style laws in several regions in the country could negatively affect foreign investment and hurt Indonesia’s international relations, a European parliamentary delegation visiting the country says.
The head of the eight-member group, Hartmut Nassauer, said in Jakarta on Friday the delegation was concerned religious laws could discriminate against non-Muslims.
While Europe had strong Christian traditions, it was not a Christian continent but a secular collection of states, Nassauer said. There were 30 million Muslims living in Europe, he said.
Despite claims to the contrary, Nassauer said if a religious law became a state law, followers of other faiths and non-believers could be obliged to live under that law.
“You cannot force a citizen to hold a certain religion, which is against his or her will,” he said. Implementing religious laws could also isolate Indonesia from other nations and create frictions.
If sharia-style laws forbade a woman to leave her house after dark, they would not only be a major concern to followers of other faiths, Nassauer said.
Aceh is the only province that has so far applied sharia-influenced precepts in its local bylaws, while several regions in other provinces have issued regulations on public conduct, which have been criticized for being discriminatory to women.
“The final decision to institute sharia law is in the hands of the Indonesian people and government, and will involve other international organizations who intend to assist the country in its elections. And I am here to share my recommendations to Indonesia,” Nassauer said.
The eight-member delegation, which visited Indonesia to attend the third European-Indonesia Inter-parliamentary Meeting, ended its visit to the country Friday.
During their five-day stay, the members of the European Parliament met House of Representatives Speaker Agung Laksono and other legislators.
They also met with members of the Committee for Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation, trade ministry officials, representatives from the country’s two-largest Muslim organizations Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama, human rights activists and Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda.
In Yogyakarta, they observed the progress of EU assistance programs for the victims of May’s earthquake.
Robert Goebbels, of the parliament’s economic and monetary affairs division, said the European Union and other ASEAN nations were working closely with Indonesia. “Indonesia is an important trade and investment partner for the EU,” he said.
Goebbels, Luxembourg’s former minister for the economy and finance, cited ASEAN statistics, which said that one-third of foreign direct investment to ASEAN nations came from the EU.
He recommended Indonesian companies involved in foreign trade consider using the euro more often because it would reduce their vulnerability to the instability of the U.S. dollar.
Asked about the high-profile case of murdered activist Munir, and whether the EU would press Indonesia for a prompt solution, Ambassador Jean Breteche, head of the European Commission delegation to Indonesia, said Munir’s widow, Suciwati, had paid him a visit.
“The Munir case is a concern. We will study the case and see how the EU can contribute,” Breteche said.
Where would the sexy dancers go if Sharia Law came to Bali?