A reminder worth noting<\/p>\n
When, in January 1994, the National Commission on Human
\nRights (Komnas HAM) came into being, observers were quick to
\nquestion its independence while many activists chose to keep
\ntheir distance from the newly established organization. This was
\nunderstandable given the fact that the commission was established
\nby presidential decree and was led initially by Ali Said, a
\nretired, and since deceased, army general who was actively
\ninvolved in the trials by military tribunal of some of the most
\nprominent suspected actors in the September 1965 communist coup
\nand who was, perhaps for that reason, widely regarded to be close
\nto the ruling power elite, if not part of it.<\/p>\n
But if doubts ever existed about the integrity and
\nindependence of our National Commission on Human Rights, they
\nwere quick to fade as, during various events that occurred in the
\nfollowing months and years, the Commission proved itself to be
\nquite quick and vocal in denouncing what it saw as violations of
\nthe basic rights of the common citizen in this country, though
\nobviously tact had to be exercised in conveying its messages to
\nthe authorities and to the public.<\/p>\n
Still, of all the Commission's appeals for a better
\nobservation of the rights of the common people in Indonesia,
\nthere is none that we can remember that equals in directness and
\nexpansiveness the statement it issued earlier this week. The
\nCommission censured the government for its failure to resolve the
\nnation's most fundamental political problems -- including an
\nemasculate democracy that has failed to empower the people and
\ninstall checks on the government, crippled law enforcement due to
\nan irresponsive judiciary that favors those in power, and
\nintolerable social injustices.<\/p>\n
\"The economic and monetary crisis which is at present gripping
\nthe nation has affected the whole perception of the national
\ndevelopment concept we have adhered to so far. The essential
\nnational conditions that are needed to ensure a decent life, a
\nbasic human right, continue to deteriorate,\" according to the
\nCommission. \"At present, conditions have driven the people's
\nlivelihoods to a high degree of uncertainty, and have now reached
\na most alarming point. What gives reason for concern,\" the
\nstatement said, \"is that up to the present it remains unclear how
\nthe government determines the basic policies that are aimed at
\novercoming these dislocations.\" It noted that \"disorder in the
\nareas of democracy, law enforcement and social justice are caused
\nby the defective operation of the legislatures, the law enforcing
\nagencies and the institutions for social control as well as the
\nrifeness of corruption and collusion in many fields\".<\/p>\n
One might perhaps ask why the National Commission on Human
\nRights has deemed it prudent to concern itself with such problems
\nas economy and politics. The answer, of course, is that they have
\na direct and profound impact on the well-being of the ordinary
\ncitizen, which, as the Commission notes, is a most basic human
\nright. Our bitter experience of the past few months should be a
\nreminder that it is well worth the effort to win and maintain the
\ntrust, confidence, and respect of the public, and that trust and
\nconfidence, and of course respect, are things that have to be
\nearned.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/a-reminder-worth-noting-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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