Indonesia urged to ratify more UN conventions

Indonesia urged to ratify more UN conventions

SEMARANG (JP): Legal expert Muladi said yesterday Indonesia
should ratify more United Nations conventions if it wished to
raise its standing internationally.

"We shouldn't disregard those international standards and
legal instruments," he said. "An adherence to the standards and
instruments will give Indonesia a favorable international image.
This is something which is very important, given the fact that
our existence and interests are closely linked with international
(approval)."

The United Nations has issued numerous conventions over the
years. However, according to former National Police Chief
Kunarto, Indonesia has so far ratified only four of them: the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
Against Women, Convention on the Political Rights of Women,
Convention of the Rights of the Child and International
Convention Against Apartheid in Sports.

In an interview with The Jakarta Post here yesterday, Muladi
said other countries usually link social, economic and cultural
assistance with Indonesia's record on international standards.

"A donor country, for instance, would want to know whether
Indonesia's government treats its offending people in accordance
with an international standard called the Standard Minimum Rules
of Treatment of Offenders," he said.

"If the donor countries believe that Indonesia has a good
human rights record, they would extend assistance," he said.

He said that Indonesia was counted last year among the 10 top
violators of intellectual property rights. In consequence, the
United States boycotted Indonesia's textile and timber exports,
he said.

"It's Indonesia's own interests that will be harmed," he said.
"We are a developing country and we need international assistance
and businesses. Let's not disregard those international standards
and legal instruments."

Kunarto said the demand that Indonesia uphold human rights is
"reasonable", as the country's social, cultural, economic and
political conditions are "already good".

"There are countries whose condition is not as good as
Indonesia, but they already have good human rights records," he
said.

"The government and the House of Representatives should ratify
more UN conventions," he said.

Indonesia's failure to ratify UN conventions has often been
highlighted in the international forum. The International Labor
Organization, for instance, singled out Indonesia last year among
major exporters of labor for failing to ratify world conventions
on the protection of women migrant workers.

The organization said that Indonesian workers who are sent
abroad are vulnerable to abuse and maltreatment, despite the fact
that they provide a large portion of the country's income.

Unless the Indonesian government ratifies the conventions,
Indonesia will face continuous international political pressure,
it warned.

The government has acknowledged the vulnerability of
Indonesian workers -- especially women -- abroad. It attributed
the situation, however, to the fact that most of them are semi-
or unskilled menial workers.

The government has responded to growing criticism over the
situation by phasing out the sending of unskilled workers and
sending more skilled workers. (har/swe)