Indonesia makes criticising politicians a crime

Indonesians could be jailed for criticising national politicians under a new law which came into force today, in what critics slammed as a major step back for the world's third-biggest democracy.

The vaguely worded bill passed the 560-member house last month but has just become official, over the objections of President Joko Widodo who refused to sign off on the controversial legislation.

Widodo does not have veto power over the bill, although it can be challenged at the Constitutional Court.

The so-called MD3 law opens to the door to pressing charges against anyone who "disrespects parliament or its members" but does not set out possible minimum or maximum jail terms.

Indonesia is the third biggest democracy globally behind India and the United States.

Protesters across the Southeast Asian archipelago who blasted the bill could potentially see themselves jailed for such demonstrations in the future, critics said.

"How does the law define disrespect?" said Sebastian Salang from the monitoring group Indonesian Parliament Watchdog.

"It is not clearly explained and could be loosely interpreted as long as it fits the lawmakers' interest to silence critics."