Golkar told to rethink stance on rights charter
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)