Pressure on the existence of sharia type laws in the provinces grows as fifty-six members of parliament in Jakarta demand their annulment.

The 56 DPR RI mp’s asked that regional regulations, that have an Islamic “flavour” (see “creeping sharia“) be cancelled by the central government because the constitution of the country (UUD 1945) forbade the creation of laws which were discrminative towards any particular group.

The 56 MP’s, excluding the PKS and PPP, have signed the declaration that provincial laws which are unconstitutional and have Islamic influences should be annulled.
(56 Anggota DPR kecuali PKS dan PPP menandatangani pencabutan perda-perda yang inskonstitusional yang telah diberlakukan di masyarakat karena bernuansa syariat Islam.)

said the spokesman for the 56, Nusron Wahid, from the Golkar party.

While the Jakarta Post quotes Constant Ponggawa of the PDS as saying:

The deliberation and implementation of bylaws should have been carried out according to the 1945 Constitution and Pancasila, and within the framework of the Unitary State of Indonesia.

Gayus Lumbuun of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said the petition was aimed at creating a powerful legislative movement to reverse the Islamization of the country.

We want to create a snowball effect, something that we hope will end up with the establishment of a House working committee to investigate the matter.

Other notable signatories included Trimedya Panjaitan, Permadi and Wayan Koster of the PDI-P, Carol D. Kadang and Jeffrey Massie of the PDS, Joko Purwongemboro of the Golkar Party, and Muhammad A.S. Hikam of the PKB. The Post states that Anwar Sanusi, of the United Development Party (PPP), an Islamist party, attended the event but does not say whether he signed.

The vice-chairman of the parliament, Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno, received the petition, with the expectation that it would then be forwarded to the president, SBY.

Soetardjo said that he supported the efforts of the 56:

Yeah we support these moves, as quickly as possible we will send the letter on so that it can be followed up on.
(Ya kami mendukung langkah ini secepatnya akan kami kirim untuk ditindaklanjuti.)

It was hoped that within one month’s time there would already be a clear decision on the part of the government to act against provincial and city administrations which promulgated Islamic ordinances in violation of the constitution. (see also Local & Regional Laws).

Nusron Wahid said there were 22 towns, regencies, and provinces in Indonesia which had passed such laws, among them, Aceh, Gorontalo, South Sulawesi, Pamekasan, Riau, Indramayu, Tasikmalaya, South Sumatera, Cianjur, Maros, Binjai, and Bulu Kumba. (see also Eighteen Regencies Sharia Bound).