Govt urged to ratify more UN conventions
Govt urged to ratify more UN conventions
JAKARTA (JP): To show its seriousness in the promotion and
protection of human rights, the government has been urged to
ratify more UN conventions covering the subject.
Aisyah Amini, a member of the House of Representatives (DPR),
and N. Hassan Wirajuda from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
shared the opinion that the time has come for Indonesia to ratify
conventions on civil and political rights, as well as many other
conventions on human rights.
They told a three-day workshop on human rights opened by
President Soeharto yesterday, that the ratification was needed to
wipe out the impression some foreign countries have of Indonesia
not really caring about human rights.
About 270 people, including civil servants, academics,
politicians, DPR members, members of non-governmental
organizations and mass media are taking part in the second
national workshop, which is organized by the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs in cooperation with the National Commission on Human
Rights. The first was held in 1991.
The UN has produced 25 conventions on human rights, but only
four have been ratified by Indonesia: Convention of the Right of
the Child, Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of
Discrimination Against Women, Convention on the Political Rights
of Women and International Convention Against Apartheid in
Sports, Wirajuda said.
More than 100 countries have ratified 10 conventions on
economic, social and cultural rights; civil and political rights;
racial discrimination; genocide; child; women; slavery; and
refugee issues.
The Philippines has ratified 18 conventions, but the number of
UN conventions which have been ratified by other ASEAN countries
is quite small compared to Laos (9), Vietnam (8), China (8),
Sri Lanka (11), India (15), and Syria (12). Like Indonesia, Sao
Tome & Principe, a small African country with a population of
10,000, have ratified four conventions only, Wirajuda said.
Wirajuda and Amini said that basically the principles of many
conventions are in line with those of Indonesian laws and norms.
They suggested that among the covenants which must receive top
priority for ratification are the Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights, and the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Reservations
In certain cases, Indonesia can make reservations, said Amini,
who heads the political commission of the House.
On citizens' freedom to gather and express ideas, she said
this is guaranteed by the 1945 Constitution, but in the
implementation of the rights one should respect other people's
rights and reputations. The freedom of speech might be limited
for the sake of public order and morality.
Amini, however, admitted that in some ways people had been
arbitrarily deprived of their political rights.
"Even though the law does not forbid members of the Korpri
(Corps of Indonesian Civil Servants) to join PPP (the United
Development Party) and PDI (the Indonesian Democratic Party), in
reality they will be penalized if they do so," Amini, a PPP
activist, pointed out.
Civil servants are told to join the ruling Golkar party.
Wirajuda said that Indonesia should ratify at least 12 more
conventions, which have "high universal values".
"Indonesia can ratify three or four conventions in a year," he
said.
He also underlined the need to establish special governmental
institutions to deal with human rights issues.
Other speakers in yesterday's sessions included Prof.
Purification Quisumbing from UNICEF Regional Office, Dr. John
Pace from the UN Center for Human Rights, Brian Burdekin from
Australian Commission of Human Rights, Prof. Charles Himawan and
Prof. Soetandyo Wignjosoebroto from the Indonesian Commission on
Human Rights, and Prof. Sunaryati Hartono from the National Board
of Law Development.(sim/hbk)