Golkar told to rethink stance on rights charter

JAKARTA (JP): Moslem scholar Abdurrahman Wahid called on Golkar to reconsider its earlier rejection to establish a human rights charter into a decree of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).

The chairman of 30 million-strong Nahdlatul Ulama Moslem organization told the press here Saturday that the issue of human rights protection has become a demand of the times, and that it would be the normal response to establish an MPR decree on it.

"We need to stipulate the charter in one positive decree because human rights protection is only implied in the 1945 Constitution," said Abdurrahman, who is better known as Gus Dur.

The campaign to establish a human rights charter as a powerful MPR decree during its three-day meeting last week faced obstacles when powerful Golkar and the Armed Forces (ABRI) factions rejected the notion.

The uphill campaign for charter's deliberation now rests on the minority United Development Party, which stated that it would fight in favor of the charter. The other minority faction, the Indonesian Democratic Party had already showed reluctance to comment on the issue.

The draft of the human rights charter was proposed recently by the National Defense and Security Council. The council suggested that the People's Consultative Assembly deliberate on an Indonesian bill of human rights and adopt it as one of its decrees.

Abdurrahman said Golkar should "openly and scientifically" explain the arguments as to why it rejected the notion.

The council is chaired by President Soeharto and its members include senior military officers and experts from various disciplines.

If Golkar maintains its rejection, Abdurrahman said, the public should start demanding that Golkar fulfill its promises to fight for human rights, which it made last May during general election campaigns.

According to Indonesia's legal hierarchy, an MPR ruling has higher status than laws and other regulations.

On President Soeharto's recent call for the House to play a stronger role in the country's political spheres, Abdurrahman said legislators must meet the expectations "wisely".

Abdurrahman said Soeharto's call reflected an overestimation. He pointed out that the House would never be able to meet people's expectations without a balance between the executive and legislative branches of the country's political power.

Rather than causing power rivalry, a stronger House would act more as a complement for the executive branch, Abdurrahman said.

He also called on the newly sworn legislators to be honest in fighting for people's aspirations and interests by producing laws that empower the people and the House. (aan)