Govt postpones meeting with rights commission

JAKARTA (JP): The government postponed yesterday a routine meeting with the National Commission on Human Rights, whose members had planned to again raise questions about the fate of 23 missing people in the bloody riots on July 27 last year.

The commission's deputy chairman, Marzuki Darusman, said the organization received on Tuesday a letter from the office of Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and Security Soesilo Soedarman, which stated that the bimonthly meeting would be postponed until an unspecified time in the future.

Marzuki denied speculation that the cancellation had to do with a barrage of strong criticism that local rights activists leveled against the government following Soesilo's statement last month that controversy over the riots was inappropriate and should be stopped.

"There is no specific reason behind the government's decision to delay the meeting," Marzuki told The Jakarta Post. "It (the postponement) is not strange because it has happened in the past."

Marzuki said the rights commission was indeed planning to again question the government about its promise last year to follow up the commission's investigation on the July 27 riots.

Unheeded

Separately, two commission members commented yesterday about the commission's secretary-general Baharuddin Lopa's recent challenge that the government might dissolve the body if its recommendations on rights violation cases were left unheeded.

Muladi and Satjipto Rahardjo, both law professors of Diponegoro University in Semarang, said Lopa was airing his personal views and was not talking on behalf of the commission.

"Pak Lopa's statement had nothing to do with the commission. It was his personal view," Muladi was quoted by Antara as saying.

Satjipto said Lopa's statement was subjective in nature. He added that it was not true that the government always refused to heed the commission's recommendations.

Speaking last week at a seminar at Satya Wacana Christian University in Salatiga, Central Java, Lopa said he was willing to face dismissal from the commission if the government was disappointed with the commission's reports.

"I reiterate that the commission cannot be dictated, controlled nor ordered by the government. The commission remains independent and will remain so for as long as I am still in the commission," Lopa said.

He also warned all parties against attempts to influence the commission's work, namely drawing up recommendations on courses of action to be taken over allegations of human rights violations. The recommendations were usually submitted to the government and other institutions.

The commission, established by a presidential decree in 1993, shot to prominence and won even greater public admiration after its independent report and recommendation over the July 27 riots. The commission said five people, rather than four as the government claimed, were killed in the riots, while 23 others were still missing.

Muladi pointed out yesterday that Indonesia's human rights record was fairly good.

The government, in fact, has the political will to include a stipulation on human rights in the next Broad Guidelines of State Policies, he said.

"This is extraordinary progress compared to previous periods," Muladi said.

He acknowledged, however, that it was difficult to meet high public expectations over the performance of the commission.

"The commission encounters difficulties in fulfilling this hope because it is neither a super or structured body," he said.

Defamation

In a related development, commission members received yesterday about 20 lawyers of Rachmad Buchori alias Buyung R.B. who is being tried at South Jakarta District Court for allegedly defaming President Soeharto.

The lawyers charged that there had been violations of legal procedures during their client's trial.

Led by Johnson Panjaitan, the lawyers called on the commission to "show concern" over the alleged violations.

Buyung is the personal secretary of former politician Soebadio Sastrosatomo who wrote the banned book, Era Baru Pemimpin Baru: Badio Menolak Rekayasa Rejim Orde Baru (New Era, New leader: Badio Rejects the New Order Regime's Engineering).

Buyung was initially arrested for printing leaflets whose content allegedly defamed Soeharto and the Armed Forces. However, he is now being tried for printing the banned book.

Soebadio himself has never been charged. (imn/aan/05)