Komnas HAM urged to be transparent

JAKARTA (JP): The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has been told to be more transparent regarding it's activities in order to gain public faith in it's independence, results of investigations released on Tuesday recommended.

The New Delhi-based South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre (SAHRDC) revealed that the commission lacked transparency regarding its meetings with government or military officials in relation to inquiries.

SAHRDC director Ravi Nair said that it is important for the commission to make sure that the results of meetings are accessible for the public to allay fears of compromise with the officials.

"Our interviews with several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) here, including those who had filed complaints with the commission and those who refused to file any, revealed their mistrust of the commission's performance and independence," Nair told a discussion held by the Institute for Human Rights Research and Advocacy (ELSAM) here.

He cited a media report stating that the commission had met military officials asking for clearance prior to submitting the first report of their inquiry into the Tanjung Priok case to the government.

Komnas HAM member Gen. (ret) Samsudin rejected the report, saying that they merely approached the military about their plans to question some officers connected with the 1984 clash between the military and local residents.

"But some NGOs had accused us of bargaining with the military," he said.

Nair also pointed out that the commission should ask the government to allocate a larger budget than US$250,000 a year to carry out their activities in this vast country which has been prone to human rights abuses.

"Compared to other country's rights commissions, your budget is the lowest. You must lobby the legislators to raise the commission's budget ... ," he insisted.

The documentation center also recommended that legislators should not nominate people affiliated with political parties to the commission members to safeguard doubt of it's independence.

SAHRDC also suggested that the rights commission carry out an in-depth study into the people's social and economic rights, which have long been denied by the government, including the connection between the country's debts with children's education.

However, commission member Emil Salim said that it's not an easy task to ask the government to raise the commission's funds or to further screen the commission members.

"In reality, it's difficult to act in accordance with your recommendations. The budget is not there, neither is the skill or the capacity. We face a lot of constraints in keeping our activities going," he said. (bby)