Marzuki urges formation of special rights body

Marzuki urges formation of special rights body

JAKARTA (JP): A leading human rights advocate urged the nation
on Monday to establish a special commission to record past human
rights abuses and help victims come to terms with their traumatic
histories.

Marzuki Darusman, chairman of the National Commission on Human
Rights, said such a commission was urgently needed to break the
psychological barriers suffered by many victims in accepting
their traumatic past.

At the same time, the commission could launch a program of
information dissemination to alleged perpetrators so that they
would not repeat abuses in the future.

"Too often we don't place human rights abuses in the correct
proportion and simply think that such traumatic experiences will
gradually heal by themselves if they are repressed," Marzuki
said.

Marzuki said that during the transitional period which the
country is going through, there have been many bloody clashes and
rights abuses in various parts of the country.

Therefore, he said, the rights body is now preparing the
process for establishing such a commission.

According to Marzuki, the military has to give a "promising
response" to the establishment of the commission.

"We're now in the phase of exploring and also of probing as
well as preparing the public for the need for a commission to
heal victims' feelings about their traumatic pasts," Marzuki
said.

However, he predicted that the commission would only be set up
following the establishment of a new government, while cautiously
adding that there may be a need for legal endorsement as well.

Marzuki hinted that the South African commission was most
likely a suitable model for Indonesia.

In South Africa the commission, headed by Archbishop Desmond
Tutu, was set up following prolonged discussions and public
debate in an attempt to forge national reconciliation in 1995.
(emf)