Indonesia's new central bank law risks going back to bad old days

Less independent Bank Indonesia would return monetary policy to Suharto era

20201015 Indonesia JokoWi Asia Analysis

A woman wearing a protective face mask and shield walks past a banner showing a masked Indonesian President Joko Widodo promoting coronavirus awareness at Tanah Abang Station in Jakarta on Sept. 14. © Reuters

TORU TAKAHASHI, Editor-in-Chief, Editorial Headquarters for Asia

BANGKOK -- While a so-called omnibus law has sparked ongoing protests in Indonesia, another move shows President Joko Widodo's government and the legislature trying to turn the clock backward to an earlier, less democratic time.

In early September, the parliament suddenly announced the start of deliberations on changes to the 1999 central bank law.

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