Lack of priority stifles rights implementation

Lack of priority stifles rights implementation

JAKARTA (JP): A lack of priority remains a major obstacle to
human rights implementation in Indonesia, a member of the
National Commission on Human Rights says.

Commission deputy chairman Marzuki Darusman said trade and
investment interests too often surpassed human rights concerns.

Marzuki was speaking yesterday after attending a meeting on
the formation of the National Working Group on Human Rights.

"In the future, it (human rights) should be given the same
priority," he said.

He pointed out that human rights were still connected to
economic developments thus creating a limited human rights
policy.

"Human rights should not be viewed from an economic
perspective alone, but also from social, cultural and political
perspectives," he told The Jakarta Post.

The National Working Group on Human Rights was designed to be
part of an overall regional mechanism on human rights among
members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The idea to form national working groups was first introduced
last year. So far, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and
Malaysia are countries which have established working groups.

It was hoped that the advent of a regional mechanism would
facilitate more dialog in ASEAN on human rights issues. Marzuki
said the dialog was expected to lay the foundation for more open
discussions on human rights.

He expressed hope that it would overcome the present
difficulties ASEAN faced when there were discussions on human
rights. (10)