Clear definition sought on role of truth commission

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Lawmakers deliberating the bill on truth and reconciliation were urged on Tuesday to clearly define gross human rights violations to ensure that the proposed truth and reconciliation commission would help strengthen national unity.

Speaking during a hearing with the House committee charged with deliberating the bill, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda and Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno said a clear definition of gross human rights violations would help bring about reconciliation.

Hassan also suggested that lawmakers clearly define the ultimate objective of establishing the truth and reconciliation commission.

"Gross violations of human rights can be one cause of national disintegration. Therefore, the ultimate goal of the truth and reconciliation commission must be to maintain national integration," he said.

The two ministers had been invited to give their opinions on the bill, which will serve as the legal basis for the setting up of the truth and reconciliation commission.

Hassan said that legislators should also determine which human rights abuses could be brought before the truth and reconciliation commission.

Hari Sabarno, meanwhile, said that without clear regulations the public might feel that all types of legal violations could be brought before the commission.

"And this would result in overlapping between the role of the planned commission and that of the National Commission on Human Rights," he said.

Hassan concurred with Hari, saying that the truth and reconciliation commission must be set up with a specific brief to handle clearly defined cases.

Taking Argentina as an example, he said a similar commission in that country, called the National Commission on the Disappeared, had the specific task of investigating widespread disappearances that were blamed on the security forces.

The idea of setting up a truth and reconciliation commission emerged shortly after the downfall of Soeharto's repressive administration in 1998.

Political expert Ikrar Nusa Bhakti and human rights activists Munarman and Robertus Robert on Monday urged the government to end "state-sponsored discrimination against Chinese-Indonesians and the relatives of suspected communist party members."

The chairman of the House committee charged with deliberating the bill, Sidharto Danusubroto, disclosed on Tuesday that his committee planned to listen to the views of about 60 institutions over the course of two months.

He said he hoped that the opinions put forward by these institutions would help improve the substance of the bill.

Although Sidharto stressed the importance of the bill, the committee meeting on Tuesday was attended by only 16 of the committee's 50 members.

Home minister Hari had to interrupt his presentation to answer a phone call from President Megawati Soekarnoputri.