Bill on Truth, Reconciliation drafted<\/p>\n
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The government has drafted a bill to deal with past human
\nrights abuses committed during both the Sukarno and Soeharto
\nregimes, offering pardons to the suspects who are ready to be
\nreconciled with their victims and pay them compensation.<\/p>\n
The draft bill on the establishment of the Truth and
\nReconciliation Commission (TRC) stipulates that human rights
\nabusers must confess all their wrongdoings to achieve an amnesty.<\/p>\n
At the same time, suspects have the right to rehabilitate
\ntheir image and good name.<\/p>\n
Apart from the mechanism, the government will also resolve
\ncertain human rights cases through ad hoc courts, which will try
\nthe cases of atrocities that are not settled by the commission.<\/p>\n
Under the bill, suspects and victims are free to decide to
\nchoose which of the two mechanisms they want to use to resolve
\ntheir cases.<\/p>\n
Romli Atmasasmita, director general for legal administrative
\naffairs at the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, said the
\nsettlement of human rights cases through the TRC is aimed at
\nending hatred and hostility among the communities.<\/p>\n
However, he stressed that the Truth and Reconciliation
\nCommission would not serve as an \"impunity institution\", arguing
\nthat all the mechanisms used to find a solution would be
\nconducted in a transparent manner.<\/p>\n
\"A decision would be taken after the commission listens to all
\nrelated parties and the process made transparent,\" Romli, who is
\nalso a lecturer at Bandung-based Padjadjaran University, told The
\nJakarta Post on Friday.<\/p>\n
The bill stipulates that reconciliation must be outlined in a
\nwritten agreement signed by the suspects and the victims, or
\ntheir heirs, as well as the TRC.<\/p>\n
Under the bill, the commission is authorized to deal with all
\nhuman rights abuses that took place between 1945 and 1966
\n(Sukarno's era) and between 1966 and 1988 (Soeharto's era),
\nranging from killings blamed on the now defunct Indonesian
\nCommunist Party (PKI) to atrocities in Irian Jaya, Aceh and East
\nTimor.<\/p>\n
The TRC is manned by 15 members who will be selected by the
\nNational Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) for approval by
\nthe president and the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
Romli said credibility is the prime criteria in selecting the
\nmembers who will represent all elements within society.<\/p>\n
He said his ministry had handed over the bill to the State
\nSecretariat, which is to be submitted to the House in the near
\nfuture for endorsement.<\/p>\n
However, he could not specify the date, saying, \"The sooner
\nthe bill is passed into law, the better we can speed up our
\neffort to resolve the human rights abuses that have posed a heavy
\nburden for the government,\" Romli said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bill-on-truth-reconciliation-drafted-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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