A dim view of human rights conditions in Indonesia

1996: Tahun Kekerasan Potret Pelanggaran HAM di Indonesia (1996: Year of Violence, A Portrait of Human Rights Violations in Indonesia). Edited by A. Made Tony Supriatma. Yayasan Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Indonesia (Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation), May 1997. XXI, 265 pp.

YOGYAKARTA (JP): This annual report, an overview of the intensity and frequency of separate and collective violence in Indonesia, states that human rights violations have been on an upward trend in the past two years.

The riot in Jakarta on July 27, 1996, is singled out as a turning point because it involved mass destruction, and gave many members of the public a firsthand grounding in the meaning of violence.

This publication of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation can be considered rightfully as the product of hard work, considering the limitations on collecting valid and accurate data.

Scant availability of information, the reticence of community members who have fallen victim to human rights violations to report these publicly and the level of repression from state officials may explain why the book was published rather late in the year.

It begins by detailing the government's success in building a political order through reliance on a security approach and the centralization of community groups.

The result has been extraordinary economic growth. The editor claims the structure of the centralized political system, introduced after the tragic events in 1965, placed the state as the sole determiner of political reality.

The attendant argument is that it has been impossible to effect civil and political rights in full. This work claims repression of feelings led to eruptions of violence in 1995-1996.

The writers categorize five categories of human rights violations attributable to "structural measures of violence by the state".

First is conflict in the civilian community itself, which is considered the direct result of the state's failure to create a more open political space. But this violence increasingly served to undermine the civilian community's movement because it provided legitimation for more government control.

Fading

Second is the widespread violence in the name of religion. The ideology also gave rise to the occurrence of other forms of violence, which arose notably in Pekalongan and Purwakarta.

Although aspects of each event differed, the report groups the series of riots in the context of a fading tolerance among religious groups (pp. 54-91).

Third is the rise of labor movements in fighting for their fundamental rights, such as basic humanitarian wages and the freedom to associate.

In determining the criteria for competitiveness to attract investment, the government has cited cheap labor as a comparative advantage. But labor circles' acute awareness and the actual condition of poverty have led to a series of protests and strikes. Even white-collar workers were included in this unrest, evident in the strike at Hongkong Bank in Jakarta (p. 128).

Fourth is the increase in land disputes in 1996, with at least 13 prominent cases. Most were characterized by conflicts between members of the public and large companies seeking to expand their businesses.

Fifth, violence against women and the generally gloomy lot of women in Indonesia, reflected throughout the year. Trafficking in women involved not only the sending of female workers to various countries, but also the flesh trade. Moreover, the classic pattern of sexual violence was applicable to Indonesian women.

It is ironic that these notes on human rights violations in Indonesia in 1996 coincided with last year's signing of the international agreement on civilian and human rights.

The struggle for human rights and democracy in Indonesia, as presented in this book, has led to a series of counter-democracy movements, yet the actual face and fate of the democracy struggle remain in the grip of faceless hands. Its lot can only be lamented, while its future remains in hiding in the clasp of power.

It is therefore fitting that the notes on human rights violations are complemented by a number of recommendations concerning the five categories.

The recommendations become important as corrective input in a more humanitarian implementation of human rights. It should be noted that most human rights violations in Indonesia during the year were committed by the state apparatus.

This book should rightfully serve as important input for those in power to give greater attention to the growing dynamics and aspirations of the community. Turning a blind eye to the various findings will only lead to acts of violence more horrendous than those already recorded.

-- A. Wisnuhardana

The writer is a researcher at the Humaniora Social Studies Forum and resides in Yogyakarta.