Activists salm govt's official rights body
Activists salm govt's official rights body
Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta
The government has been criticized for establishing a new
national human rights committee directly under the Ministry of
Justice and Human Rights, with activists saying it would be open
to political interference.
Human rights campaigners said on Saturday the committee,
which will have regional branches nationwide, was likely to be
biased toward to the government. Indonesian governments had often
committed rights abuses in the past and the establishment of this
new committee would mean they would continue to go unchecked,
they said.
"It's stupid the government is now setting up a committee that
is tasked with dealing with its wrongdoings," said Johnson
Pandjaitan of the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights
Association (PBHI).
He said as the committee would handle human rights cases
involving government officials, the new structure would likely
mean perpetrators would walk free from courts.
Johnson said the government should strengthen the role of the
existing National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) instead
of forming a new committee.
"Under the administration of (President) Megawati
(Soekarnoputri), I have seen hope for justice increasingly
fading. With the establishment of the committee, the government
will now be able to politically control all human rights cases,"
he told The Jakarta Post.
He said if the government was serious about promoting human
rights, it should ratify international human rights conventions,
such as those on women and children's protection and those on
civilian, political and economic rights protection.
Similarly, National Commission for Missing Persons and Victims
of Violence (Kontras) chairman Ori Rahman questioned whether the
role of the committee would not overlap with Komnas HAM's.
"Because of political interference from both the executive and
legislative bodies, Komnas HAM has so far faced difficulties
deciding whether rights violations have occurred or not.
"I wonder what Komnas HAM will be able to achieve following
the government's decision to establish the new committee," he
said.
High-profile incidents such as the Trisakti, Semanggi I and
Semanggi II killings were declared only as common crimes by the
House of Representatives, despite the recommendations of Komnas.
Komnas said it had found evidence of human rights abuses in those
cases and had recommended they be brought to an ad hoc human
rights tribunal.
Megawati signed a decree on May 11 to establish the new
national committee that would coordinate human rights activities
throughout the country.
Based on the decree, the committee is chaired by the minister
of justice and human rights with members comprising
representatives of both the government and national human rights
institutions.
The committee's tasks will include establishing and
strengthening institutions that enforce the National Action Plan
on Human Rights (RANHAM), preparing the ratification of
international human rights instruments, disseminating human
rights information and monitoring, evaluating and submitting
human rights reports to the president.
As the committee chairman, the minister of justice and human
rights along with governors across the country will form
provincial RANHAM committees, which will be accountable to the
governors and the national committee.
Members of provincial committees will comprise government
representatives, experts and public figures.
Similar committees will also be set up at the
regental/municipal levels across the country.