More work needed on rights: Barry

More work needed on rights: Barry

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia must continue to improve its human
rights record as it faces increasing scrutiny, resulting from the
country's ascendancy in the international arena, the United
States Ambassador said yesterday.

Robert L. Barry said that, as Indonesia becomes more well-
known, it is inevitable individuals and groups from all over the
world would begin to express comments and interpretations of the
country's development.

"Asserting political leadership on the world scene can also
require sacrifices and even more often a certain level of
discomfort," he said in a speech at the embassy.

Indonesia has grabbed an increasing share of the international
spotlight in recent years by playing an active role in world
affairs. It currently chairs the 112-nation Non-Aligned Movement
and is a serving a two-year term on the UN Security Council. In
November, Indonesia hosted a leaders meeting of the Asia Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.

To prove his point, Barry pointed out the events that happened
during the convening of the APEC summit, which, he said, "exposed
the host to the not-always-gentle scrutiny of the world press".

Several anti-Indonesia East Timorese youths occupied the U.S.
embassy parking compound during the APEC summit, drawing the
attention of the hordes of foreign journalists, who were here to
cover the leadership meeting.

Barry's comments yesterday came at the end of his three-year
tenure as ambassador to Indonesia. He is scheduled to leave the
country in the second week of July.

After a 40-year career, Ambassador Barry intends to retire
from government service at the end of his posting here.

As a speaker at the ninth Zorinsky Memorial Lecture, Barry's
remarks continued an apparent tradition for American ambassadors
in Indonesia to deliver strong messages before leaving. In 1989,
outgoing ambassador Paul D. Wolfowitz set the ball rolling when
he called for an increasing need for political openness.

His successor, John C. Monjo, before leaving in 1992, gave a
strong statement openly criticizing practices such as red tape
and corruption, which, he believed, dampened American investors
from doing business here.

Barry said that he contemplated on whether to continue this
tradition, but decided in the end "I couldn't resist the
temptation."

Among those in attendance were Megawati Soekarnoputri, who
chairs the Indonesian Democratic Party, and Adnan Buyung
Nasution, founder of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation.

Though his remarks yesterday were subtle, Barry noted the need
for adherence to universal principles of human rights, freedom of
the press and further loosening of the economic system.

Barry later admitted to journalists that he was trying to be
"Javanese", a popular Indonesian expression for polite, in his
presentation.

On human rights, Barry altogether avoided any indictment of
Indonesia, or the mention of specific cases of violations.

Instead he carefully alluded to the resentment of some
Indonesians to foreign criticism of rights, while reminding
everyone that the 1955 Asia-Africa Conference in Bandung, West
Java, proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the
standard to which nations should be held.

Nasution later commented on how Barry's remarks underlined
Indonesia's obligation to these basic rights principles.

He contended that the government's acknowledgment to the
Declaration, as alluded to by Barry, dispelled Jakarta's
arguments that it has its own standards of human rights other
those applied by the "West".

Barry also strongly stated American concerns on the placing of
restrictions on freedom of the press throughout the world.

He did not mention any particular incident.

The ambassador said that even in the U.S., people were
sometimes uncomfortable with their press. "But we recognize that
it plays an essential role in a civil society."

He maintained that a free and lively press was necessary for
ensuring public debate, which will help improve the quality of
government policies.

Non-governmental organizations and analysts must also be free
to express their views "without fear of retribution", he added.

Barry expressed confidence that "progress in the areas of
political openness, rule of law and the protection of individual
rights will occur" in Indonesia.

Barry also urged further commitment to open up the Indonesian
economy, which, he understood, could be painful "to those who
have benefited from a more restrictive system."

He stressed the need for the loosening of the often
monopolistic structures and more participation by a wider segment
of the population.

While commenting on the various deregulation packages
introduced by the government, Barry called for the opening of the
services and distribution sector, which, he said, would boost
Indonesia's human capital resources and allow consumers access to
the best products and prices. (mds)