Mega okays new rights body team

Mega okays new rights body team

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Megawati Soekarnoputri signed a decree to formally
approve the appointment of 21 new National Commission on Human
Rights (Komnas HAM) members, an official said on Monday.

The decree, dated on Saturday, comes three months after the
House of Representatives endorsed the candidates for the rights
body following a heavily criticized screening process.

"The decree listed the 21 members of the commission in line
with their selection by the House of Representatives," Deputy
Cabinet Secretary Erman Radjaguguk told The Jakarta Post on
Monday.

According to the law, the President has the final duty to
officially appoint the rights body members through a presidential
decree and inaugurate them.

The new roster of members will be the first to be selected in
accordance with the law on the Commission on Human Rights passed
in 2000. The current Komnas HAM members were appointed directly
by the President.

The selection process of the new Komnas HAM members sparked
controversy as the House claimed that the most experienced and
respected human rights activists in the country -- Todung Mulya
Lubis, Hendardi and Wardah Hafidz -- were not fit for the
commission.

Reports said that Megawati was initially opposed the
reelection of Djoko Sugianto, Koesparmono Irsan, Samsoeddin and
Saafroeddin Bahar because they had served as Komnas members twice
previously.

Erman, however, flatly denied the report saying that he never
heard such a thing and the three-month gap between the House's
endorsement and the issuance of the decree was simply a matter of
priority order. He said there were a lot of decrees that had
higher priorities for the president.

He added that the inauguration ceremony for the new members
would take place after the President returned home from her 15-
day tour of Africa and Europe. Megawati and her entourage
departed on Sunday.