Govt not serious about rights issues: Activists<\/p>\n
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The government's serious lack of commitment to upholding basic
\nrights in the political, social, economic and cultural spheres
\nhas created a vacuum where rights violations could flourish,
\nactivists said on Monday.<\/p>\n
Center for Human Rights Studies (Yapusham) executive director
\nTodung Mulya Lubis urged the administration of President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri to immediately issue the regulations necessary to
\nensure that the people's basic rights were respected.<\/p>\n
Speaking during a seminar organized by the National Taskforce
\nfor Human Rights (KKN HAM), Todung also underlined the importance
\nof comprehensively enshrining human rights in the Constitution so
\nas to serve as an umbrella for the international covenants on
\nhuman rights that Indonesia had already ratified.<\/p>\n
\"The second phase of the amendment of the 1945 Constitution
\nhas failed to embrace all human rights principles as it still
\nadheres to non-retroactivity so as to hamper the prosecution of
\npast rights violations. This is the result of a compromise with
\nthe old guard,\" Todung said.<\/p>\n
\"There should be more comprehensive clauses in the
\nCconstitution on human rights, with a mechanism being provided
\nfor the resolution of rights cases ... not only an internal
\nmechanism but a regional one as well since human rights issues
\nresonate beyond a country's borders,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Most cases of rights violations which have been highlighted by
\nthe international community are believed to have been committed
\nby the military.<\/p>\n
The people at large had been clamoring for strict procedures
\nfor the Indonesian armed forces in handling riots and
\ndemonstrations so as to prevent major human rights violations.<\/p>\n
Suporing Todung's view was National Commission on Human Rights
\n(Komnas HAM) member Saafroedin Bahar, who said that both the
\ngovernment and the legislators would remain inconsistent with
\ntheir policies for protecting and promoting human rights.<\/p>\n
\"Although we have put in place a national action plan on human
\nrights for the period 1998-2003, Indonesia will not ratify the
\nmain conventions on civil and political rights, and economic,
\nsocial, and cultural rights in the near future since they have
\nyet to be included in the legislative program for 2002,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-not-serious-about-rights-issues-activists-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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