ABRI, Golkar refusal to rights decree questioned

ABRI, Golkar refusal to rights decree questioned

SEMARANG (JP): Two leading human rights campaigners joined the
chorus for the establishment of an Indonesian human rights
charter yesterday.

Baharuddin Lopa and Muladi, both members of the National
Commission on Human Rights, separately expressed their belief
that such a charter would guarantee better protection for
people's basic rights.

The two also expressed pessimism, however, that the People's
Consultative Assembly (MPR) would be unwilling to deliberate and
adopt the charter now that its two dominant factions -- Golkar
and the Armed Forces (ABRI), had rejected it. Nevertheless, they
asked that the two factions change their stance.

Lopa is former director general of correctional institutions
at the Ministry of Justice while Muladi is a professor of law at
Diponegoro University in Semarang.

The proposal that MPR deliberate and adopt a human rights
charter was first put forward by the National Defense and
Security Affairs council, a government think tank chaired by
President Soeharto.

The Golkar and ABRI factions had outright said there was no
need for a separate MPR decree on human rights protection, given
that the issue was already covered in the state ideology
Pancasila, the 1945 Constitution, and a few laws. They also
argued that the State Policy Guidelines, which MPR established
every five years, usually covered the topic.

The United Development Party (PPP) faction has promised to
fight for the charter, while the tiny Indonesian Democratic Party
(PDI) faction has so far shown a noncommittal stance.

Lopa opted for a special charter on human rights so that "the
executive branch cannot easily revoke laws and regulations on
human rights protection".

"The President currently has the authority to revoke laws and
regulations, and make decisions on human rights disputes," he
said at a seminar on human rights yesterday at Sultan Agung
Islamic University.

Muladi shared Lopa's opinion. However, he said the charter
could be incorporated into the State Policy Guidelines.

National Defense and Security Affairs secretary-general
Soekarto had recently said the charter, along with its draft of
State Policy Guidelines, was the government's response to public
aspirations for better rights protection.

Muladi and Lopa did not see, however, that the MPR stance
would influence their own endeavors in the cause.

"The most important thing is that I will continue in my
struggle for the promotion of human rights, with or without an
MPR decree," Lopa said.

He said he would not use his position in the rights commission
to influence MPR in its stance over the issue.

However, Muladi, who is also the rector of Diponegoro
University as well as a member of the Golkar faction at MPR, said
he would wait and see whether the Assembly would eventually take
up the issue or not.

"To me, it would be great if everybody remained committed to
efforts to uphold human rights principles," he said.

He also spoke about the need to remain vigilant over possible
foreign intervention in the country's human rights affairs.

"Beware of any political engineering by foreign countries,
which could eventually jeopardize the people's own interests," he
said. (har/imn)