Indonesia ratifies antibias convention<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): After 34 years of negligence, Indonesia ratified
\non Tuesday the International Convention on the Elimination of All
\nForms of Racial Discrimination.<\/p>\n
In a plenary session here, the House of Representatives
\nunanimously endorsed the bill on the ratification of the
\nconvention for President B.J. Habibie to sign into a new law.<\/p>\n
The ratification requires the government to, among other
\nthings, scrap all its racial discriminatory policies, which
\nmostly target Indonesian-Chinese rather than descents of other
\nmigrant groups.<\/p>\n
To follow up on its implementation, Minister of Justice Muladi
\nsaid a team would soon be assigned to evaluate all laws that
\nmight be affected by the ratification.<\/p>\n
The team will comprise representatives of the justice
\nministry, foreign affairs ministry, Attorney General's Office,
\nNational Police, National Commission on Human Rights, NGOs and
\nexperts from universities, according to Muladi.<\/p>\n
Laws to be evaluated by the team are the criminal laws, civil
\nlaws and administrative laws.<\/p>\n
Muladi said all existing laws that went against the ratified
\nconvention would be abolished and new ones would be made
\naccordingly.<\/p>\n
\"(Thus) the law (on the convention ratification) needs to be
\nspelled out through several other laws,\" he said in his statement
\nwelcoming the ratification.<\/p>\n
\"So, it's not an exaggeration to say that here we state that
\nthe government is ready and remains committed to accountably
\nenforce the (new) law,\" he added.<\/p>\n
In his statement, Muladi highlighted how the House had
\ncritically made a \"reservation\" -- as allowed by Article 20 of
\nthe convention -- in its ratification of Article 22.<\/p>\n
The latter article regulates settlement of disputes on the
\nconvention's interpretation and implementation through the
\nInternational Court of Justice (ICJ).<\/p>\n
Muladi said the stance was taken simply because Indonesia has
\nnot yet recognized ICJ's \"compulsory jurisdiction\".<\/p>\n
Also in his statement, Muladi said that besides being binding
\nto the government, the ratification also would bind all members
\nof the public to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination.<\/p>\n
\"It (the new law) upholds our positive law which, among other
\nthings, is accentuated in the Criminal Code's Article 156, 156a,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
The articles threaten anyone publicly spreading \"enmity,
\nhatred, derogatory remarks\" against any Indonesian ethnic group
\nwith five years imprisonment.<\/p>\n
All four factions of the House -- the United Development
\nParty, the Indonesian Democratic Party, Golkar and the Armed
\nForces -- shared a common view on the criminal nature of all
\nforms of racial discrimination in the country.<\/p>\n
Chinese-Indonesians have repeatedly complained about rampant
\ndiscriminatory practices that systematically treat them as
\nsecond-class citizens.<\/p>\n
Their identity cards (KTP) bear special codes, and careers in
\nthe military and bureaucracy are virtually closed to them.<\/p>\n
The House factions were all united in hoping that the
\nratification would lay the foundation for promotion of equality
\nfor all. (aan)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/indonesia-ratifies-antibias-convention-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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