Anti-LGBT Recruitment Policy Doesn’t Anti Human Rights

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) policy has banned homosexuals and transgender people from becoming its employees doesn’t anti human rights because the existence of anti-LGBT people at the government’s office has tainted the government’s image to the people especially to the muslim community.

Indonesia has seen a rise in anti-LGBT sentiment in recent years due to rising conservatism and a more assertive pro-LGBT campaign. A survey on tolerance carried out by Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) in November 2016 found that from 1,000 respondents, 16,6 percent cited the LGBT community as the group they disliked the most, second after the Islamic State (IS) group with 25,5 percent.

A similiar survey by the Wahid Foundation last year also revealed that the LGBT community was the minority most disliked by Indonesian muslims, who account for nearly 90 percent of the country’s population. The survey said that 26.1 percent of 1,520 muslim respondents nationwide disliked LGBT people, while 16.7 percent of them disliked communists.

Previously, the AGO announcement had stated that their looking for new employees including prosecutors, announced earlier this month that one of the requirements to join the institution is that applicants “do not have a mental illness including people with abnormal sexual orientation and transgenders”.

The AGO is a main government office which is tackled a seriously job such as murder, corruption and drugs. Because of that the AGO needed bold and assertive individuals to serve for the institution.

Meanwhile, on the commond perception of the people, LGBT people is a mental-illness people, so that they aren’t a bold and assertive people who can be done a seriously and dangerously work at the AGO office or other security and an intelligence office.

I think the policy of AGO will be changed controversial policy after the National Commision on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) had been condemmed it, is a wrong decision because the policy requirements employee of AGO which denied and rejected LGBT people to be their  employee is the right one because it will be protected the future of Indonesian government office from LGBT influence and it will make the social and cultural emotions between the government and the people will be maintained.

However, LGBT is a mental-illness and its can be broken our national and religious values in the future, because LGBT movement in the recent day which will influence the youth generation is an assymetric threat to the long-lasting traditional, national and religious value. It seems like “hidden values” will be broken cultural and social value in Indonesia in the future.

The 1945 constitution which guarantees every citizen the right to work in state institution, nevertheles, our constitution has also appreciated our national dan religious values which had been done in the life style of people. If LGBT people is a mental-illness, the people of Indonesia will accord if LGBT people didn’t work at the government office.

Finally, the AGO office must be defended their policy to reject a mental-illness and abnormal sexual orientation and transgenders to be their employee and it doesn’t human rights violation.

*) Bayu Kusuma, Social and cultural observer at LSISI Jakarta.