Kontras' double standard

Kontras' double standard

From Media Indonesia

I used to be proud of the National Commission for Missing
Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) as a non-governmental
organization pioneering advocacy relating to acts of coercion.
The commission was entrusted with enlightening the struggle for
human rights (HAM) in Indonesia and always spoke out against
violations of human rights. The commission not only gave sharp
reactions to but also frequently gave advice on and carried out
investigations into violent acts.

Yet, I'm now disappointed with Kontras. Apparently, society
has pinned too much hope on the Commission, which is, actually,
full of vested interests so that the endeavors of its activists
have become biased. Objectivity, conscience and honesty have
gone.

Take a look, for example, at how this Commission has gone all
out to condemn acts of coercion categorized as state violence
against its own people. Yet, it looks as if Kontras did not have
the guts to denounce or even raise questions about acts of
violence against civilians in Aceh or Papua, allegedly committed
respectively by the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) or Free Papua
Organization (OPM).

The Commission failed to react to the murder of Dayan Dawood,
the Unsyiah (Syiah Kuala University, Banda Aceh) rector. Clearly,
the Commission has applied double standards in fighting violent
acts, hasn't it? This question shows how naive this Commission
has been in its struggle. It is no longer able to look at cases
of coercion objectively -- not to say that it is discriminatory
-- let alone making a contribution to the struggle to defend
human rights. If the Commission applies double standards, the
public will consider Munir and his friends false champions of
human rights.

DONALD PANJAITAN

Tangerang, Banten