Whither human rights?<\/p>\n
Marking Human Rights Day today as we do every Dec. 10, we in
\nIndonesia have every reason to feel concerned about where we, as
\na nation, stand in our commitment to upholding the letter and
\nspirit of 1948 Universal Declaration on Human Rights.<\/p>\n
All the evidence throughout the year suggests that as a
\nnational political agenda, human rights have not only been put on
\nthe back burner, but we seem to have even abandoned all earlier
\nefforts at setting our human rights record straight.<\/p>\n
The bomb attacks in Bali in October have complicated the human
\nrights situation. In launching its campaign against terror after
\nthe Bali tragedy, the government of President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri has not only relegated human rights from the
\nnational agenda, but it may even have forsaken human rights
\nprinciples.<\/p>\n
Official rhetoric aside, Indonesia's human rights record looks
\nparticularly appalling this year.<\/p>\n
There have been more human rights atrocities committed across
\nthe archipelago, particularly in conflict zones like Maluku,
\nAceh, Papua and the Central Sulawesi regency of Poso. What is
\nparticularly disturbing is that many of these violations are
\nincreasingly being committed by non-state entities.<\/p>\n
The government and its security forces no longer have a
\nmonopoly claim to being the worst human rights offenders. The
\nreports we hear from many conflict zones suggest that private
\nindividuals and organizations can be just as cruel and barbaric.<\/p>\n
The Bali bombings that left nearly 200 people dead must count
\namong the worst forms of violations of people's basic rights in
\nIndonesia in 2002. The perpetrators, whoever they might be, have
\nnot only inflicted damage on the victims and their relatives, but
\nalso on the rest of the nation, who now have to live in fear that
\nterrorists could attack them anywhere anytime.<\/p>\n
If we treat the Bali tragedy as a gross violation of human
\nrights, there is no reason to see the campaign against terror as
\nincompatible with the national human rights agenda. On the
\ncontrary, the two should be complimentary, and could even be
\npursued simultaneously, without one being sidelined by the other.<\/p>\n
The Bali tragedy is an example of how our government has
\nfailed in its duty to provide adequate protection for the people,
\nIndonesians and foreigners alike. The constant killings and
\nmurders in various conflict zones are other examples of where the
\ngovernment is failing in its duty to guarantee the people of
\ntheir basic rights, including the right to life, and the right to
\nlive in peace and free from fear.<\/p>\n
The year started on an optimistic note with the establishment
\nby the government of the human rights ad hoc tribunal to try
\nthose responsible for past human rights abuses. But most of the
\ntrials held to date have been disappointing.<\/p>\n
All the top military and police officers brought before the
\ntribunal for their alleged role in the 1999 mayhem in East Timor
\nwere acquitted. A handful of pro-Indonesia East Timorese were
\nconvicted, but they got off lightly. Eurico Guterres, the former
\nmilitia leader, for example, was sentenced to 10 years'
\nimprisonment for a crime against humanity. This is a far cry from
\njustice and a gross insult to our sense of right and wrong
\nconsidering that the law stipulates a minimum sentence of 11
\nyears.<\/p>\n
There are no signs that any of the top officers who conducted
\nthe military campaign in Aceh between 1991 and 1998, a period
\nduring which rights atrocities are well documented, will be
\nbrought to trial. There cannot be any real peace in Aceh as long
\nas those responsible for these rights violations are allowed to
\nroam free.<\/p>\n
Impunity, in short, is still the rule in Indonesia. And
\nbecause people rarely get punished, they will not hesitate to do
\nthe same thing again, and what is more, other people will be
\nencouraged to take the same path. As long as impunity remains the
\nnorm, we can expect human rights violations to escalate in the
\ncoming years.<\/p>\n
External pressures on the government to set Indonesia's human
\nrights record straight have also ebbed this year, with
\ncounterterrorism now taking center stage in international
\ndiplomacy.<\/p>\n
In the past, external pressures played a significant albeit
\nnot the most important, role in pushing the government to respect
\nuniversal human rights principles. Now, we can no longer count on
\noutside help to exert the necessary pressure on our government to
\nget its human rights act together.<\/p>\n
At the end of the day, it is up to those of us who are
\nconcerned about civil society to put human rights back on the
\nfront burner of the national agenda where it truly belong. This
\nis a battle that we Indonesians have to wage by ourselves for the
\nsake of our own future. The year 2002 may seem gloomy, but we
\nmust not relent in our fight. Most of all, we must not lose hope.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/whither-human-rights-1447893297",
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