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)