'ABRI not the sole violator of human rights'
'ABRI not the sole violator of human rights'
JAKARTA (JP): Despite being a target of frequent foreign
criticism, the Armed Forces (ABRI) is not the worse rights
violator in Indonesia, say members of the National Commission on
Human Rights.
Commission members Muladi and Miriam Budiardjo told
journalists here Saturday that while ABRI has committed a number
of gross violations, it is not the only party that has failed to
uphold human rights.
"I think that (the violations ABRI has committed) are only a
small part of the overall violations," said Muladi.
Muladi, who is also a rector at Diponegoro University in
Semarang, Central Java, said that violators also came from other
sections of society.
Miriam said that among the many infractions reported and
studied by the Commission, a number of them were committed by
non-military officials.
"However, it is the violations committed by state officials
which gain the foreign spotlight," she said.
In 1991, army officers were found responsible for the deaths
of over 50 demonstrators during a demonstration in Dili, East
Timor. This August, a number of officers were implicated in the
deaths of 16 civilians in Timika, Irian Jaya.
Despite the military's various violations, Miriam said,
respect and efforts to protect people's rights exist within
ABRI's high command.
"From our meetings with the top brass, we have found that
there is an awareness (of human rights)," said Miriam, who is one
of the country's most respected political scientists.
"The problem is with the men in the field who still lack
awareness," she added.
Muladi, known as a vocal critic of the government, also felt
that violations were often conducted by men on the field without
the knowledge of their superiors.
"Their (ABRI's) involvement is not structural, but
individual," he said.
Both Muladi and Miriam agreed that efforts to heighten
awareness of human rights would take time, perhaps another
generation.
Miriam said the Human Rights Commission is planning to issue
pamphlets, as part of its human rights awareness campaign, to
police officers and the general public.
Commission member B.N. Marbun said yesterday that the
difficulty lies in a lack of common understanding of human rights
concepts.
For that purpose, he suggested that human rights education and
dissemination be maximized by making reading materials on the
issue more accessible.
Seminar
The Commission announced on Saturday that it would hold a
national seminar on human rights in Semarang, Central Java, on
Dec. 10-11.
Marbun, who is also a legislator from the Indonesian
Democratic Party faction, said one of the main aims of the
seminar would be to forge a common perception of human rights.
Some 300 participants are expected to attend the seminar from
state, military, academic and non-government institutions.
Keynote speakers will be Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono
and the head of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights,
Malaysian Datuk Musa Hitam.
Speakers and commentators will include Nurcholish Madjid,
Baharuddin Lopa, Abdul Hakim G. Nusantara, T. Mulya Lubis, Franz
Magnis Soeseno and Loekman Soetrisno.
The four main topics prepared for the two-day seminar are
recognition of human rights in Indonesian law, human rights in
the Indonesian sociocultural and religious context, economic
rights and the work of the National Commission on Human Rights
1993-1995.
Marbun said the results of the seminar will be published in a
book, which he said is part of the plan to educate people on the
question of rights.
Meanwhile, when asked to comment on his candidacy as an
alternate member of the UN's Sub-Commission on the Prevention of
Discrimination and the Protection of Minorities, Muladi said he
welcomed the idea.
"It's an absorbing job," he said.
Indonesia is presenting rights campaigner Charles Himawan as a
member and Muladi as an alternate to sit on the UN Sub-
Commission.
Muladi is currently a member of the UN Committee on Crime
Prevention and Criminal Justice. (mds)