Indonesia's human rights record

Indonesia's human rights record

The Clinton administration is having a hard time deciding
whether to impose modest trade sanctions against Indonesia for
denying workers their basic rights. First it demanded changes by
February 1994. Then it let that deadline pass and dropped formal
scrutiny of Indonesia's performance for six months. Now it seems
ready to delay any action until after President Clinton visits
Jakarta next month for the Asia-Pacific summit meeting.

Such protracted delay helps no one. The administration should
tell Indonesia now what it still needs to do and set a firm
deadline for doing it.

As a low-income developing country, Indonesia is eligible for
reduced tariffs on certain products through a program called the
General System of Preferences, or GSP.

About $900 million in Indonesian exports entered the United
States under this program last year. But by U.S. law, countries
benefiting from GSP are required to take steps to accord their
citizens internationally recognized labor rights.

In Indonesia's case that means getting the army out of labor
disputes and letting workers form independent unions. As the
February deadline approached, Indonesia promised Washington it
would take meaningful steps in both areas. It has had eight
months to put those promises into effect.

A U.S. investigative team recently visited Indonesia to assess
compliance. Its findings are not yet available. Human rights
groups report some progress, but say the military still
interferes in labor matters and the government is still trying to
crush the main independent union.

Last month, 28 members of Congress urged the administration to
revoke Indonesia's GSP benefits.

But the GSP debate is now taking place in a radically changed
context. In May, the Clinton administration dropped all human
rights conditions on trade with China. As repressive as
Indonesia's labor policies are, they are less harsh than
Beijing's. In recent weeks, Commerce Secretary Ron Brown has
called for expanding trade with China and Indonesia, ignoring
human rights concerns.

The message is clear: Washington's human rights talk need not
be taken seriously. If Clinton wants to salvage any credibility
on rights, he needs to modify that cynical message at once.

Withholding trade benefits is an appropriate tool for
punishing labor abuses. Such abuses offend human rights and
confer unfair trade advantages to the violator. In the case of
GSP, upholding labor standards is required by law. But if the
administration sincerely believes that trade and development are
the best ways to advance human rights, other forms of pressure
are available.

These include outspoken diplomacy, votes in the UN human
rights commission and restrictions on military training and sales
for countries whose armed forces are involved in human rights
abuse.

The latest foreign aid bill specifically instructs U.S.
representatives in multilateral development banks like the World
Bank to take worker rights into account when they cast their
votes.

Right now, the Clinton administration seems at a loss over
human rights policy. Renewing the pressure on Indonesia over
labor rights could help it find its way again.

-- The New York Times