Rights abuse a black spot in RI history<\/p>\n
The violation of human rights is an acute problem that has
\nlingered for decades in the country. There has been much talk
\nabout it, yet little concrete action has been taken. The Jakarta
\nPost looks into the issue, observing the 51st anniversary of the
\nUniversal Declaration on Human Rights on Dec. 10.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Human rights has shifted to the front burner of
\nhot issues as the country moves in fits and starts into a new
\nera.<\/p>\n
After many years when stories of human right violations were
\nhushed up in the country, news on television and in newspapers is
\ndominated by reports of abuses in various pockets of the nation,
\nfrom Aceh to Maluku, East Timor to Irian Jaya.<\/p>\n
It paints a bleak portrait of the condition of human rights
\nduring the country's 54 years of independence. The worst period
\nwas during Soeharto's regime from 1966 to 1998. After the
\ntransitional presidency of B.J. Habibie, Indonesia is now under
\nthe leadership of Abdurrahman Wahid, better known as Gus Dur, and
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri.<\/p>\n
Although the two new leaders are generally considered more
\nprogressive, the country is still unable to shake its tainted
\nimage on the issue of respect, or lack thereof, for human rights.<\/p>\n
\"There is more freedom for the press and to organize, but
\nviolence continues because there is no serious effort from the
\ngovernment to thoroughly settle the cases,\" Abdul Hakim Garuda
\nNusantara, chairman of the Institute of Policy Research and
\nAdvocacy, said.<\/p>\n
In an effort to improve the situation, President Abdurrahman
\nappointed a state minister of human rights affairs, Hasballah M.
\nSaad.<\/p>\n
Activists have been cool in greeting the move, doubting the
\neffectiveness of the state minister because his duties and powers
\nremain unclear.<\/p>\n
Hasballah admitted to being overwhelmed by the tasks of the
\nnew job. A former right activist from Aceh, he is aware of the
\npublic's demand for the protection of human rights and settlement
\nof human rights cases.<\/p>\n
However, he urged the public to understand the government's
\nlimited capacity and be patient.<\/p>\n
\"We are like people who have just woken from a long sleep to
\nface a lot of hard work.\"<\/p>\n
He promised the government would do its best to solve the
\nhuman rights problems, but warned it would take time. \"There are
\nthe economic crisis and other things to deal with ... We can't
\nsettle them within a week or two.\"<\/p>\n
There is a huge backlog of grievances to be heard.<\/p>\n
Take Aceh, for example. A 10-year military operation in the
\nprovince is a black spot on the country's human rights record,
\nwith more than 5,000 reported cases of human rights abuses,
\nincluding summary executions, torture, rape and abductions.
\nAlthough the operation ended last year, violence continued and
\nmore than 250 people have been killed since May.<\/p>\n
An independent team set up to investigate the atrocities in
\nthe province accused military leaders of ordering the human
\nrights violations.<\/p>\n
Another team assigned to investigate the human rights abuses
\nin East Timor seconded the allegation from the results of its
\nprobe. It said last week that the military was behind the rights
\nabuses in the province.<\/p>\n
The military has denied accusations that human rights abuses
\nwere its systematic approach to dealing with dissent.
\nCoordinating Minister for Political Affairs and Security Gen.
\nWiranto told a hearing of the House of Representatives last week
\nthat the abuses could only have occurred through the actions of
\nundisciplined soldiers.<\/p>\n
The military claims to have sanctioned the personnel
\nresponsible for the abuses, but has never made the full details
\npublic.<\/p>\n
Many doubt the military's seriousness in handling its errant
\npersonnel, with the public outraged by military court sentences
\nwhich appear to be slaps on the wrist. Four soldiers tried in the
\nshooting deaths of four Trisakti University students in May 1998
\nwere jailed for several months for \"indiscipline\".<\/p>\n
Many other cases remain unresolved, including the slaughter of
\nhundreds of thousands of people accused of supporting the
\nIndonesian Communist Party in 1965, the Tanjung Priok case in
\n1984, the Dili cemetery shooting incident in 1991, the murder of
\nlabor activist Marsinah in the East Java town of Sidoardjo in
\n1993, the murder of Yogyakarta journalist Fuad Muhammad
\nSyarifuddin alias Udin in 1996, the May riots in Jakarta and
\nother cities in 1998 and the Semanggi killings six months later.
\nThousands of people have also died in clashes with the military
\nin Maluku, Aceh, East Timor, Irian Jaya.<\/p>\n
It is clear the abuses involved hundreds, even thousands of
\npeople, mostly soldiers. A new human right law enacted in
\nSeptember allows the prosecution of military personnel accused of
\nhuman rights abuses in a civil court.<\/p>\n
The ruling, however, applies for future, not past cases.
\nAttorney General Marzuki Darusman said last month that he would
\npropose that the President draft a government regulation in lieu
\nof a law to allow him to prosecute military members.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, the government is considering establishing a
\ntruth and reconciliation commission, similar to one set up in
\nSouth Africa after the end of apartheid.<\/p>\n
\"If there are tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands
\ncases of human rights abuses, shall we take them to court one by
\none?\" Hasballah said.<\/p>\n
The commission is expected to seek the truth and then give the
\nopportunity for those responsible for the abuse to apologize and
\nseek amnesty. It would also provide compensation to victims of
\nthe abuse.<\/p>\n
\"The philosophy is that there is no reconciliation without
\nrevealing the truth,\" Abdul Hakim said.<\/p>\n
He supported the establishment of the commission as one of two
\napproaches to settling human rights cases. He backed the use of
\nlegal means, but noted it was a long, exhaustive process which
\nmight not yield satisfactory results.<\/p>\n
Activists and the government are brainstorming on drafting the
\nbill to establish the commission.<\/p>\n
Another supporter of the commission, Benjamin Mangkoedilaga,
\nwho is a member of the National Commission on Human Rights, said
\nthe institution would open the floodgates of truth about the past
\nand satisfy an anxious public.<\/p>\n
Establishing the commission, however, is not the only way. The
\ngovernment should effect many actions to improve the situation,
\nand the public is clamoring for concrete action, not plans and
\npromises.<\/p>\n
Soon after Abdurrahman was elected president, he said that he
\nwould handle the problems in Aceh, while Megawati would take care
\nof Maluku. Mangkoedilaga called the plan a good start, but
\nregretted that the two leaders had yet to make good on the
\npromise. (sim)<\/p>",
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