Govt, DPR drag their feet in supporting human rights

Govt, DPR drag their feet in supporting human rights

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesia is dragging its feet in upholding human rights, and
both the government and the House of Representatives (DPR) have
shown little interest in human rights issues in the country,
caretaker of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) Irianto
says.

"The government and DPR are reluctant to reveal rights abuses
dealing with its own people," Irianto told The Jakarta Post over
the weekend.

According to Irianto, the government's reluctance to back the
Inquiry Team of the National Commission of Human Rights (KPP HAM)
in questioning military and police generals responsible for the
Trisakti, Semanggi I and Semanggi II shootings clearly
demonstrated the President's lack of seriousness in exposing
rights violations.

Unlike the East Timor rights violation investigation, the
military and police officers have given a hard time to KPP HAM,
set up by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) to
investigate the three incidents that took place in 1998 and 1999.

Calls have also mounted for Komnas HAM to be revamped, but
both the government and the House have turned a blind eye,
despite the fact that Komnas HAM has lost its credibility and
impartiality.

The replacement of its members has also been delayed for
unknown reasons. The House recently asked the commission to
submit another 36 names of candidates for Komnas HAM members, who
by law should be 36, including one secretary-general, but until
now the House has not announced the Komnas HAM members.

In the East Timor case, Irianto said, Indonesia has been very
firm in bringing suspected human rights violators to justice.
Even the military and police personnel as well as senior
officials have been very cooperative with the investigation,
enabling the whole process to proceed smoothly, Irianto said.

"The government has shown seriousness in bringing the East
Timor case to trial without any commotion over the procedures, in
order to avoid an international tribunal," he said, adding that
the way the government handled the East Timor case raised
concerns that human rights trial was merely a diplomatic tool to
gain international sympathy.

"Indonesia holds the rights trial against its officers to
satisfy another regime (the East Timor administration) only when
the country is on the losing side," he said.