Assembly may drop draft on human rights charter<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The People's Consultative Assembly came closer
\nyesterday to reaching a decision to reject motions for human
\nrights protection sponsored by minority factions.<\/p>\n
All of the body's five factions agreed yesterday to jointly
\ndraw up fundamental principles of human rights protection, and
\nincorporate them in the draft 1998\/2003 State Policy Guidelines,
\naccording to Wiranto, chairman of the Assembly's ad hoc committee
\nin charge of affairs outside of state policy.<\/p>\n
\"We haven't reached any agreement on whether or not to adopt
\nhuman rights protection as a separate decree because we have to
\nwork together with the committee in charge of the State Policy
\nGuidelines,\" Wiranto said.<\/p>\n
The State Policy Guidelines is being deliberated by another
\ncommittee led by R. Hartono.<\/p>\n
Wiranto said a special team led by his deputy chairman Akbar
\nTandjung would give the draft a finishing touch before offering
\nit to the Hartono-led committee.<\/p>\n
The United Development Party (PPP) and the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party (PDI) have demanded that the Assembly establish
\na human rights charter which could serve as a legal basis for a
\nreview of laws which are prone to rights abuses.<\/p>\n
Dominant faction Golkar and its traditional allies, the Armed
\nForces and regional representatives, opposed the minority
\nfactions' motion. The three factions insisted on incorporating
\nhuman rights protection in the legal development section of the
\nState Policy Guidelines.<\/p>\n
Debate on the necessity of a human rights charter has loomed
\noutside the Assembly. The National Commission on Human Rights and
\nthe Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation are persistent supporters of
\na separate and more powerful decree on human rights.<\/p>\n
Wiranto said yesterday that all the five factions in the
\nAssembly shared a great concern for the improvement of human
\nrights protection and promotion.<\/p>\n
\"Each of us has taken the right stance on human rights
\nprotection and how to enhance its implementation in society,\"
\nWiranto said.<\/p>\n
He failed to decide on a date for a meeting with
\nrepresentatives of the ad hoc committee in charge of policy
\nguidelines, but said he could arrange the joint deliberation at
\nany time.<\/p>\n
The committee in charge of non-state policy guidelines will
\nmove on with deliberation of the last motion on sociopolitical
\norganizations proposed by PPP and PDI, starting today.<\/p>\n
The committee deliberating policy guidelines resumed the
\ndebate on nondenominational faiths. PPP insisted on excluding
\nnondenominational faiths from religious affairs.<\/p>\n
A PPP representative, Muhammad Buang, predicted, however, that
\na compromise would be reached after the committee recognized
\nyesterday that it was religion, not nondenominational faiths,
\nthat played a key role in efforts to enhance harmony within the
\ncommunity. (amd)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/assembly-may-drop-draft-on-human-rights-charter-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}