Ad hoc trial delay could harm Indonesia's image<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja , The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Another delay by President Megawati Soekarnoputri on the
\nappointment of judges for an ad hoc human rights trial could
\ntarnish Indonesia's image in the international arena, a political
\nanalyst said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Kusnanto Anggoro of the Centre for Strategic and International
\nStudies (CSIS) said that the continuing delay would also provoke
\ndemands for an international tribunal.<\/p>\n
\"The trial is part of Indonesia's international obligation; if
\nthe domestic legal process looked too weak then it could remind
\npeople of the international tribunal. That would really damage
\nthe country's image,\" Kusnanto told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
He made the remarks in response to the failure on the part of
\nPresident Megawati Soekarnoputri to sign a presidential decree on
\nWednesday for the appointment of judges for the tribunal, which
\nwas scheduled for next Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Megawati declined to sign the presidential decree, possibly
\nbecause she still objected to the inclusion of certain names in
\nthe list of prospective judges.<\/p>\n
Kusnanto gave a reminder that Indonesia still suffered from a
\nmilitary embargo imposed by the United States and that it would
\ncontinue should the government fail to establish proper legal
\nprocedures to deal with human rights violators.<\/p>\n
The government renewed in August last year a presidential
\ndecree on the establishment of ad hoc tribunals to try those
\nsuspected of gross human rights abuses in the 1984 Tanjung Priok
\nand 1999 East Timor bloodshed.<\/p>\n
New Presidential Decree No. 96\/2001 clearly specifies each of
\nthe crimes against humanity to be brought to court, namely human
\nrights violations in the Tanjung Priok shooting in September 1984
\nand in East Timor in April and September 1999.<\/p>\n
The new decree, signed by President Megawati Soekarnoputri in
\nAugust, 2001, overruled former presidential decree No. 53\/2001,
\nsigned by then president Abdurrahman Wahid in April.<\/p>\n
The previous decree drew protests from rights activists as it
\ngave authority to the tribunal only to try and to hand down
\nverdicts for rights violations that had taken place in East Timor
\nafter the self-determination ballot of Aug. 30, 1999.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday Megawati summoned Minister of Justice and Human
\nRights Yusril Ihza Mahendra to discuss the list of prospective
\njudges.<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters after meeting the President, Yusril said
\nthat Megawati had asked him about his position on the appointment
\nof ad hoc judges.<\/p>\n
\"I explained that the President had to authorize only the
\nappointment of the judges, while their selection was the task of
\nthe Supreme Court,\" Yusril said.<\/p>\n
He added that the President would sign the decree as soon as
\npossible, as his meeting on Wednesday was the last with the
\nPresident on the issue of the ad hoc trial judges.<\/p>\n
In a related development, the Indonesian Association of Judges
\n(IKHI) also urged the President to sign the presidential decree.<\/p>\n
\"We urge the President to sign the presidential decree as the
\ntribunal should start soon,\" association chairman Toton Suprapto
\nsaid after meeting the President on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The Supreme Court submitted 12 names, comprising six for the
\ninitial trial and six others for the appeal trial, which had gone
\nthrough a selection process for the tribunal, originally
\nscheduled for early December.<\/p>\n
Megawati never explained her reluctance to sign the decree,
\nbut it was reported by Hukumonline.com, that one of the 12 judges
\nwas I Gusti Ketut Sukarate, who had rejected an appeal demand
\nrelating to the attack on Megawati's party headquarters on July
\n27, 1996.<\/p>",
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