IMF aid 'could lead' to political reforms

IMF aid 'could lead' to political reforms

JAKARTA (JP): Legal expert Todung Mulya Lubis said here
yesterday that the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) approach
to dealing with the economic crisis in some Asian countries could
lead to economic and political reforms.

Todung said the conditions set by the IMF could help create a
situation where the political system is more open and more
democratic.

"This will depend a lot on how tenacious the social and
political institutions in this country can push this and utilize
it," said the lawyer renowned for his advocacy on human rights
issues.

The IMF's US$23 billion bailout package to Indonesia set out
certain conditions which included an end to economic monopolies
in certain sectors and a more transparent system.

Todung, who gained his masters degree in law at the University
of California in Berkeley, the United States, in 1979, described
the IMF's approach as "multilaterism".

He said that multilaterism was aimed at lifting the burden of
superpower states in maintaining peace and security in the world
and sharing it with respective countries.

When applied to a country, multilaterism restricts unfair
practices in the domestic and international environment.

"We are at a critical junction in Indonesian history. A
critical moment will force us, whether we like it or not, to talk
about the post regime era," Todung said during a seminar on the
Universality of Human Rights During a Crisis of Law in
Developing Countries.

Also speaking at yesterday's seminar was Arbi Sanit, a
political scientist from the University of Indonesia.

Arbi said the IMF's economic reform agenda could indirectly
lead Indonesia toward greater democratization, as it would help
Indonesia overcome its shattered economic base.

"If the IMF's efforts can stabilize our financial and monetary
crisis, it will also help settle the unstable fundamentals of our
economy," he said after the seminar.

Movement

Political observer Kastorius Sinaga urged the National
Commission on Human Rights to establish a stronger network with
non-governmental organizations in the country to accelerate the
promotion of human rights issues.

Kastorius told journalists after addressing a workshop on
human rights that networking could become a "wonderful political
resource" which could lead to a "human rights movement" in the
country.

He said the "new alliance" could easily be established on the
grounds that the rights body and NGOs have many things in common,
such as advocating human rights.

"So there's a need now, for instance, for the rights body to
establish a new subcommission specifically in charge of
networking," he said.

"It's been four years now since the rights body was
established. It's time it became a symbol of the people's plight
rather than just another government office," he said.

The rights body was established under a presidential decree in
1993.

It has asserted itself as an independent body by often issuing
unflattering reports against the government on various issues and
events.

Director of the Indonesian NGOs Partnerships Initiatives
(INPI-Pact), Kastorius, said the rights body would be stronger
once it established a network with NGOs because it would then
have both the government's mandate as well as the NGOs'.

"The government will not have to worry about the alliance,
because the alliance will be treading the line of human rights
advocacy, not that of practical politics," he said. (09/aan)