All eyes on Munawir

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