Human obligations and human rights

People would rather speak about human rights than human obligations. Even though the issue of improved human rights has not captured the people's interest, the National Committee on Human Rights has been established.

The President has recently announced the introduction of a 2 percent tax on those with an income in excess of Rp 100 million. This regulation needs monitoring, because if the project fails it may mar the authority of the head of state.

We need to establish a Human Obligations Committee, which would have the following functions:

1. To make the rich realize that assisting the poor is an obligation; that this is in their own interests and not a matter of charity. There is a saying that "if you don't feed the hungry, they'll end up eating you."

2. To inform the government of parties not adhering to the regulation.

IFRODI SUKANTO

Jakarta