Indonesia fires back at U.S. human rights rap

Indonesia fires back at U.S. human rights rap

JAKARTA (JP): The government hit back strongly yesterday at
the U.S. State Department's critical report on human rights in
Indonesia, saying it reflected an imbalanced and biased view of
the human rights situation in the country.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the
report contained misperceptions regarding the policies of the
Indonesian government and its conduct and was replete with
inaccuracies which reflected a simplistic and superficial grasp
of the facts regarding various cases cited.

"The report also fails to account for the socio-cultural
sensitivities and historical particularity of Indonesia,
resulting in the report's ethnocentric tendency in measuring the
condition of human rights in Indonesia," the statement said.

The strongly worded statement is the government's response to
the State Department's report on human rights around the world in
1997, issued late last month.

"Despite a surface adherence to democratic forms, the
Indonesian political system remains authoritarian," the report
said.

"Pervasive corruption remains a problem ... The authorities
maintained their tight grip on the political process, and in the
May election, as in the previous five held since 1971, denied
citizens the ability to change their government democratically,"
it continued.

The report was released as President Clinton is seeking
Congress backing for his support of an International Monetary
Fund (IMF) rescue package to Indonesia and other Asian countries
hit by the regional financial upheaval.

Washington has pledged US$3 billion of the IMF's $43 billion
package to Indonesia. Many Congress representatives have
criticized the policy, saying the U.S. should not be involved in
the IMF program.

The ministry's statement also said: "It is inconceivable that
the U.S. feels privileged to continue to systematically target a
number of developing countries like Indonesia as the violators of
human rights of their own peoples.

"It does not only arrogate themselves the right to patronize
and pass judgment on another group of countries which enjoy full
rights to an equal status, but it also resorts to a false prism
which is solely based on their own experience when they seek to
judge situations which are completely different from those
affecting their own societies."

The State Department also mentioned improvements in human
rights here, including the government's improving tolerance of
its critics.

Indonesia was upset with the statement in the report saying
that the country's philosophy of Pancasila is "used to limit
dissent".

"Indonesia's adherence to basic human rights and fundamental
freedom is clear and unequivocal for it flows from Pancasila,"
the foreign ministry statement said. (prb)