Local rights body proposed
SURABAYA (JP): The East Java chapter of the National Awakening Party (PKB) proposed on Wednesday the establishment of a regional commission on human rights to uphold human rights in the province.
"The establishment of such a regional commission is expected to help improve the upholding of the human rights, thereby convincing foreign investors intending to enter the province," Fathorrasyid, head of the PKB faction in the East Java legislative assembly, said.
He explained that the establishment of such a regional commission was in no way designed to compete with the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM).
Several cases involving human rights abuses in the regions have received only scant attention from the Jakarta-based Komnas HAM, he said, adding that the national commission was frequently too late in responding to such cases.
Fathorrasyid said that members of the regional commission could be elected from among the elements of society, and should be independent and willing to undergo fit-and-proper tests in the provincial assembly.
The members could be chosen from among people who were concerned with human rights, including journalists, academics and members of non-governmental organizations.
He said violent incidents related to various cases, including labor strikes, land confiscation and coercion by security personnel, frequently occurred in East Java.
In some circumstances, he said, the security personnel themselves frequently were responsible for repressive actions that could only be classified as human rights abuses.
Commenting on the legal defense of two PKB members who have been detained since early August by the East Java police on suspicion of distributing antigovernment pamphlets, Fathorrasyid said that advocacy would continue to be carried out on their behalf.
He said that what was done by the two PKB members could not be classified as an attack on the government.
Besides the two members of the provincial legislative council from the PKB faction -- M. Rozak and Mustawiyanto -- six students were also detained by the East Java Police. One week later, chairman of the Democratic People's Party Eusibius Purwadi was also arrested for his alleged involvement.
Fathorrasyid said that by detaining them the police were guilty of human rights abuses as the actions were indiscriminate and lacked any order or authorization from the governor of East Java.
"Frankly speaking, we filed a lawsuit against the police in the Bondowoso District Court, but we lost. We're now trying to explain the case in detail to the investigators," he said. (nur/08)