Churches admit mistakes over Soeharto<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian churches on Thursday admitted to
\nhaving played a part in maintaining Soeharto's oppressive New
\nOrder regime and vowed never to repeat the same mistake.<\/p>\n
Church leaders also pledged to become more actively involved
\nin the build up to the June 7 general election.<\/p>\n
In a statement issued at the end of a three-day seminar on the
\nchurch's role in educating voters, delegates from 60 churches
\nacross the country said they would play a more active part in
\nproviding the public with a political education.<\/p>\n
The seminar was organized by the Percik Foundation from
\nSalatiga in Central Java, the Indonesian Catholic Community
\nForum, the Central Java Christian Church and the Asia Foundation.<\/p>\n
Organizer Tukiman Taruno and Pradjarta Dirjosanjoto from the
\nPercik Foundation said church leaders agreed that a political
\neducation was an important aspect of democratization.<\/p>\n
They said voters should be educated in an adequate, planned
\nand proactive manner in order to make the election a success.<\/p>\n
\"The church intends to play an active role in the education
\nprocess,\" Tukiman said, giving no further details.<\/p>\n
\"A political education is considered to be good if it is
\nprovided in a rational manner, if it does not encourage
\nsentimentalism, if it respects other people's opinions...and if
\nit encompasses realistic measures (that should be taken) to bring
\nabout greater democracy,\" he said.<\/p>\n
In a related development in Surabaya on Friday, a group of
\nintellectuals led by legal expert J.E. Sahetappy established a
\nnew center for the study of democracy and human rights.<\/p>\n
Sahetappy said the center, the Indonesian Forum for Human
\nRights and Democracy, was established out of concern that
\nviolence legitimized by the state would continue for the
\nforeseeable future, fueled by vested political interests and an
\nignorance of the basic principles of democracy.<\/p>\n
Sahetappy, who is a professor of law at Airlangga University,
\nsaid unrest in various parts of the country demonstrated that
\nhuman rights were being disregarded. He said that 60 percent of
\nthe reported cases of unrest in East Java stemmed from human
\nrights violations and land disputes.<\/p>\n
\"The center will cooperate with the relevant institutions and
\nwork to empower and defend those whose rights are violated.<\/p>\n
\"We are looking to help uphold human rights and democracy in
\norder to establish an ideal civil society,\" Sahetappy said.<\/p>\n
\"We will provide legal services an advice to both poll
\nmonitors and those whose rights have been violated,\" he added.<\/p>\n
He said the forum followed up on a proposal aired during
\ndiscussions with Nahdlatul Ulama chairman Abdurrahman Wahid
\nduring his recent \"open house\" program in Jakarta. (har\/nur)<\/p>",
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