Government to submit two rights bills to House<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Law and Legislation Yusril Ihza
\nMahendra said on Tuesday the government would submit two separate
\nbills to the House of Representatives in the third week of March
\nto help bring a closure to past human rights abuses in the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
The minister said that a bill on the establishment of a truth
\nand reconciliation commission would be submitted together with a
\nnew bill on a human rights tribunal.<\/p>\n
\"We are expecting that on March 13 the House will reject
\nGovernment Regulation No.1\/1999 on a human rights tribunal, so we
\ncan withdraw it and submit the new bills a week later,\" he
\nannounced.<\/p>\n
The government is in the final stages of drafting a new bill
\non a rights tribunal to address the weaknesses of the previously
\nsubmitted regulation, which was drafted during the tenure of
\nformer president B.J. Habibie.<\/p>\n
In particular the new bill would apply a retroactive clause
\nand contain articles in which perpetrators could be tried for
\n\"omission\".<\/p>\n
Speaking after a hearing with House Commission II for law and
\nhome affairs, Yusril said the bill on a truth and reconciliation
\ncommission was to anticipate cases which could not be judicially
\nresolved through the proposed rights tribunal.<\/p>\n
The idea to set up a commission began to gain serious
\nattention last year after the new era of openness suddenly
\nunveiled a slew of allegations of rights abuses throughout the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
In December, the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas
\nHAM) also stressed the importance of such a commission to resolve
\nrights cases as the country was judicially ill-equipped to
\nresolve and reconcile these cases.<\/p>\n
Non-governmental organizations and Komnas HAM had referred to
\nSouth Africa's commission as a model to emulate.<\/p>\n
Yusril warned that if the country did not have a sufficient
\nmechanism with which to handle the long dark list of alleged
\nabuses occurring throughout the country's history, these cases
\ncould become a potential dilemma which could spark public
\ndiscontent.<\/p>\n
\"Such a possibility could cause a major political setback.
\nThat's why, in order to answer the public's demand, we have
\ndrafted the bill,\" Yusril said, adding that the proposed
\ncommission could also help reconcile conflicting parties to avoid
\nretaliatory action stemming from past conflict.<\/p>\n
\"But there is always the possibility that if the commission
\ncan come up with new evidence, an old case could be brought back
\nto the human rights tribunal,\" Yusril said. (04)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/government-to-submit-two-rights-bills-to-house-1447893297",
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