All eyes on Munawir

As was expected Munawir Sjadzali MA has been elected the new chairman of the National Committee on Human Rights. This is not surprising because, as other members of the Committee have said, he stood a very good chance of being elected. Under the chairmanship of the late Ali Said, Munawir was deputy chairman of the subcommittee for the examination of legal instruments available for the protection of human rights in Indonesia. Before his death, Ali Said said he wished that members of the committee would elect Munawir Sjadzali as his successor. Obviously, Ali Said had his reasons for his plea.

Munawir's election, however, did not result purely from Ali Said's will. Born in Klaten, Central Java, he is unquestionably fit to fill the position. His educational background and his experience guarantee that Munawir will be able to lead the National Commission on Human Rights. The big challenge facing Munawir is to achieve a workable balance between this country's national interests and the universal concept of human rights. Thus he must be ready to face criticism from two sides. The public is waiting to see the performance of the National Commission on Human Rights under Munawir Sjadzali. The yardstick by which his success will be measured is the degree to which he shows himself capable of lending weight to the commission while continuously improving the credibility of the institution.

-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta