TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Coordinating Minister for Legal, Human Rights, Immigration, and Correction, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, stated that he respects the proposal from the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) calling for discussion of the Criminal Code Bill on LGBT. According to Yusril, the government guarantees the rights of every individual or organization to pursue their aspirations in a democratic country.
"As a religious organization is reported to have taken the initiative to draft the bill, the government respects the initiative," Yusril said in a WhatsApp message on Thursday, July 9, 2026.
The former State Secretary did not comment on the substance of the Criminal Code Bill on LGBT. He only emphasized that the government is not taking further steps regarding the proposal. "Regarding the proposal for the Criminal Code Bill on LGBT, the government as of now has no plans to draft such a bill," he said.
Amid the controversy over the classification of LGBT as a non-military threat to the state, there is a recommendation for the imposition of sanctions on this group. The MUI is driving the proposal and is currently formulating an academic manuscript and a draft of the Criminal Code Bill on LGBT issues to submit to the House of Representatives.
MUI Deputy Chair, Muhammad Cholil Nafis, believes that the existing legal instruments do not specifically regulate sanctions for LGBT individuals who are considered to behave in a deviant manner. According to him, same-sex couples are no longer ashamed to display affection in public.
Therefore, Cholil is convinced that clear legal regulations are needed because moral appeals are ineffective in regulating the extensive activities and cultural campaigns of the LGBT community. For Cholil, the Criminal Code Bill on LGBT is the answer to anticipate homosexual couples engaging in public activities.
"Now law enforcement may want to be strict, but there are no regulations related to criminalizing the activities and campaigns of the LGBT community," said this lecturer at the University of Indonesia's Graduate School in a voice message on Wednesday, July 8, 2026.
Cholil Nafis stated that the MUI's legal and legislative team is currently discussing the types of sanctions that will be included in the Criminal Code Bill on LGBT issues. The draft is targeted to be completed soon and will be finalized at the Congress of the Islamic People in Jakarta on July 24-26.
In an interview with MUI Digital on June 28, 2026, Cholil Nafis revealed the limitations of criminal regulations in the bill. He claimed that the bill will not criminalize sexual orientation that is still internally held and not publicly displayed. The focus of the bill will be on the perpetrators and activities of campaigning for the LGBT community.
According to Cholil, the sanctions for the perpetrators may include criminal penalties enforced by law enforcement agencies and discretionary sanctions aimed at educating and left to the judgment of the panel of judges. Although the Criminal Code Bill on LGBT cannot eradicate all forms of misconduct, he believes that the existence of regulations is crucial in preventing the notion that it is normal.
"If there is no punishment at all, then it means becoming normal. So, we should not normalize it. Punishment makes people understand that this is not normal," Cholil said on June 28, 2026, as quoted from MUI's website.
Read: Indonesia Mulls Anti-LGBTQ Curriculum in Religious Education
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