Government urged to look into E. Timor problems
JAKARTA (JP): The raging controversy over Bishop Carlos Felipe Ximenes Belo's critical remarks on the military prompted observers Saturday to call on the government and the public alike to look into the root of the problems facing the territory.
They said that finding ways to improve conditions in East Timor would be more productive than blowing up the issue and organizing street demonstrations.
Belo has been under public scrutiny after reports filtered back of an interview the bishop had with German magazine Der Spiegel, in which he reportedly said Indonesian soldiers treated East Timorese like "scabby dogs".
The call to look into the cause of East Timorese problems was made by political scholar Juwono Soedarsono of University of Indonesia, sociologist Loekman Sutrisno of the Gadjah Mada University and Clementino dos Reis Amaral of the National Commission on Human Rights.
In separate interviews with The Jakarta Post, they agreed that violations of human rights remain commonplace in East Timor despite progress in social and economic development there.
"Not only do they happen in East Timor, but also in Irian Jaya as well as in many other provinces," said Juwono, who is also deputy governor of the National Resilience Institute.
He said the government has built a lot of schools, bridges and roads in East Timor but the people want their basic rights better respected.
Juwono referred to the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights which stipulates that five elements of human rights -- civil, political, social, economic, cultural -- should be equally respected.
He said the government's success in raising East Timorese's welfare has yet to be followed with better respect for their basic rights.
"How East Timorese people have been striving hard to get into the mainstream of our national culture is one thing that should be addressed," he said.
Meanwhile, Amaral, an East Timorese native, said that the economic development in East Timor is undeniable.
"However, there's still a gap between those economic successes and the social, cultural, political and civil rights that have yet to be fully addressed," he said.
According to Amaral, East Timorese are still being treated unequally in fields such as in civil service recruitments and in legal matters.
East Timorese's civil rights such as freedom from torture, mental and physical terror, and the right of expression are not fully guaranteed.
When asked to comment on Belo's remarks, he said the comments should have been taken with a full grasp on the East Timorese culture and the Catholic teachings in which most Timorese believe.
"I believe the bishop did not mean to insult the Armed Forces or the government. Besides, it's not yet clear whether the bishop was referring to the whole ABRI or just some individuals in the central or local government," he said.
Lukman Soetrisno said the government should not only expect flattery for its successes in East Timor but also listen to criticism.
"Apart from the rudeness of Belo's remarks, which I myself dislike, we should look into the more substantial issues voiced by the bishop, that there are still violations of human rights there in East Timor," Loekman said.
He pointed out that the government should realize that unlike churches in other parts of Indonesia, Catholic ones in East Timor have a unique function in that they voice people's aspirations, he added. (08)