REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Member of advocacy team of the National Movement to Safeguard the Indonesian Council of Ulama's Fatwa (GNPF MUI), Kapitra Ampera, said United Nations should not discredit nor be unfair to Indonesia. 

He said that to comment on a tweet from UN Human Rights Asia on Tuesday showing its concern following the jail sentence for the Jakarta Governor for blasphemy case. "We call on #Indonesia to review blasphemy law," it said.

"Previously, there was a Muslim who was punished in Bali for religious blasphemy but the UN ignore it because the UN has no capacity for it," Kapitra said to Republika.co.id on Thursday.

Kapitra explained many countries in the world adopt the law of defamation. In Britain, Canada, the United States and Asia, the perpetrators of religious blasphemy are severely punished. "That is part of the nation's sovereignty," he said.

He explained, as a sovereign nation, Indonesia is free to determine the law applied in the country. He reminded sovereignty of the nation should not be at stake for just one person.

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"Intervention to amend the Act is catagorized as international crimes. Therefore Indonesian government should ignore the UN appeal for reviewing the law of defamation," Kapitra reiterated.

Kapitra remarked the law of defamation is applied to maintain harmony among the people. If the law is revoked, he worried horizontal conflict may occured. "It could destroy Indonesia from inside," 

He asserted, the article of defamation of religion is very important to keep freedom of each citizen to perform religious worship according to his religion. This is a mandate of Article 29 Paragraph 2 of the 1945 Constitution. "How can ithe Act be changed? If it wants to be changed Constitution must be amended".

Kapitra added, the law of defamation should not be revised not only because one person. Moreover, no body asked for a revision of the law when it was applied to Lia Eden, Arswendo and others who violate the Act.

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