Human rights in 1996

When it comes to human rights observation in Indonesia, 1996 has not been not a good year. The violations may not have drawn as much of an international outcry as did the killings in Liquisa, East Timor, and Timika, Irian Jaya, that overshadowed 1995, but no one can take pride in the country's performance this year. There were plenty of cases for us to reflect on, both outwardly as a nation, and introspectively as individuals.

The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) published its 1996 annual report Friday, giving yet another thumbs down to human rights observation in Indonesia. The conclusions corroborated much of the report of the Center for Human Rights Studies (Yapusham) announced the week before.

The two reports, which give details of the important human rights violations this year, have a similar theme: that most of the violations were committed by the state. The YLBHI report even went as far as suggesting that "violence and public officials" are becoming like two sides of the same coin. A further corroboration of this point came from the National Commission on Human Rights, which said that it received 186 reports from people alleging human rights violations committed by the government this year.

If anything, human rights violations in 1996 were more widespread than before. We only need to recall the unrest that rocked Ujungpandang, Jakarta, Situbondo, and last week, Tasikmalaya. These riots often eclipsed other forms of violations that did not grab the headlines or as much public attention.

The year also had its share of reports of police brutality -- with some torture ending in victims' death -- , cases of deprivation of civil rights -- such as freedom of expression and freedom of assembly -- and the prosecution against government critics with the use of the unpopular subversion law. There were also numerous allegations of rights violations in land and labor disputes.

There was one startling point raised by Yapusham: that university rectors come second after police officers as the most frequent violators. This is apparently for prohibiting discussions or the appearance of certain speakers on their campuses. The academic world is the last place one would expect to find human rights violations.

Allegations of human rights violations in Indonesia are not new. YLBHI has been producing an annual report every year for at least a decade. Foreign organizations such as the Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have tirelessly attacked Indonesia. The government has lashed out at these foreign organizations, accusing them of having ulterior motives behind their criticism.

But no one can accuse the human rights commission, Yapusham or YLBHI of having ulterior motives. These are respected local institutions, run by men and women of high integrity and respect, which have been consistent in fighting for the promotion of human rights in this country. In the face of their criticism, the government cannot shift into denial mode just as it did with Amnesty International.

It is therefore encouraging to hear Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and Security Soesilo Soedarman saying last week that he would look into the Yapusham report. Let's hope that his promise does not turn out to be merely lip service.

The country needs to bolster its performance in respecting human rights in 1997. Taking Yapusham, YLBHI, the National Commission on Human Rights and other critics more seriously will be a good starting point.