Implementation of Human Rights

Addressing the Second National Workshop on Human Rights, held on Oct. 24, 1994, President Soeharto said that follow-up actions have been done to the recommendations made during the first Workshop on Human Rights held in January 1991. Now we feel the need for making stronger efforts to enhance the weight and quality of protection for human rights. The President also stated that in the process of development, violations of human rights are sometimes unavoidable. But these violations are an excess that should be solved. It is the responsibility of all parties to work towards giving continuous protection for human rights.

The issue of human rights is contained in our Constitution. But due to the absence of a clear system and lack of education on the nature of the human rights for the society, and the fact that our cultural patterns are in transition, there is an impression that human rights have not been implemented in a satisfactory way.

We should also be aware of the propensity to utilize human rights issues for political and economic purposes.

-- Suara Karya, Jakarta