Generals held account for past rights abuses: Komnas
Muninggar Sri Saraswati Jakarta
The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) appealed to all presidential and vice presidential candidates to carefully read its reports on human rights violations in the past.
Komnas HAM Chairman Abdul Hakim Garuda Nusantara said the reports clearly identified the gravity of the rights violations and who were held responsible for the abuses and it would be the job of the next government to follow them up.
"Our reports of investigation into the Trisakti and mass riots in May 1998 and the Semanggi I and Semanggi II incidents in November 1998 and September 1999 said the military authorities were held accountable for those incidents, including Wiranto, Prabowo, Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and others," Abdul Hakim told The Jakarta Post.
Wiranto was the Indonesian Military (TNI) chief, Lt. Gen. (ret) Prabowo was the chief of the Army's Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad) and Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin was the chief of the Jakarta military command when the May 1998 incidents took place.
"We do not mean to say they were the perpetrators of the incidents, but they have to be responsible because as commanders of the security authorities they failed to protect people," Abdul Hakim asserted.
He was commenting on a statement from Solahuddin Wahid, who said on Wednesday the rights body had cleared his running mate in the July 5 presidential election Gen. (ret) Wiranto of the gross human rights violations.
Solahuddin led the Komnas Ham team of investigation into the May riots before resigning recently, and attempted to subpoena the active and former military officers, who turned out to ignore the summons.
Abdul Hakim said the rights body's findings would remain intact and urged the Attorney General's Office to launch a formal investigation based on the commission's reports.
"Whoever governs the country, he or she has to finish what we have started. If the current government fails to do it, then the next one has to get the job done," Abdul Hakim said.
He also called on presidential and vice presidential candidates from accusing rights campaigners of lacking nationalism and working for foreign interests.
"Instead, because of nationalism we promote human rights," he said.
Separately, Komnas HAM deputy chairperson Zoemrotin K. Susilo, told reporters at her office the fact that Solahuddin would contest the presidential election as the running mate of Golkar Party's candidate Wiranto had nothing to do with the commission.
She refused, however, to comment on Solahuddin's statement in defense of Wiranto.
"It's his personal statement. We have nothing to do with it despite the fact that he once led the team to probe the May 1998 riots. Let the people decide," she said.
Wiranto has accused his implication in various human rights abuses is a form of his character assassination.
A fact finding team set up by the government of B.J. Habibie announced on Nov. 3, 1998, that individuals within the armed forces took an active role in inciting the May riots and confirmed the occurrence of rape and sexual assault during the violence.
"The commission found the indications (of Wiranto's involvement in the case). Therefore we started to summon him as a witness. But he did not show up. If he really considers himself innocent, he should answer the summon. It's about moral ethics," Zoemrotin said.