NAM accused of inaction to stop rights violations
NAM accused of inaction to stop rights violations
JAKARTA (JP): International relations expert Dewi Fortuna Anwar accused the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) of "inaction" in the face of gross human rights violations by its own member countries.
The researcher at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences said in a seminar on the future of the 113-nation movement on Thursday that NAM must be "firmer" in addressing human rights violations committed by its members.
She added that NAM's principle of non-interference must not be used as an excuse when action is called for.
"The Movement is not based on actual power, it is based on moral power ... We are made up of nations who were oppressed, who questioned the unfair hierarchy in international relations," she said.
If the Movement stands idly by on inter-member violations of human rights, "we will be charged by the West of applying double standards, just as we charge them," Dewi said.
Regarding violations in Myanmar, she said the Movement must not be silent, "as if we believe state sovereignty is higher than people's sovereignty. They should be parallel."
The seminar, organized by the Media Indonesia daily, discussed the future of NAM after Indonesia ended its three-year chairmanship and handed it over to Colombia in October.
Dewi was commenting on papers presented earlier by Nana Sutresna, a senior Indonesian diplomat who was the executive assistant to President Soeharto when he chaired the movement in 1992-95, and by Juwono Sudarsono, an international relations expert and deputy governor of the National Resilience Institute.
Nana said earlier that it would be difficult for any NAM leader "to be too active" on the question of human rights violations by its members.
"The principle of upholding state sovereignty is sacred among members, and it is this principle which forms the base of NAM solidarity," he said.
Dewi said that the movement has yet to live up to all the principles that were promulgated when it was founded in 1961.
She said NAM needs to be more active in finding solutions to conflicts among member countries.
"This will lead to stronger solidarity, and a higher commitment of members to the Movement," she said. "Although we are now focusing more on economic (cooperation), NAM still is a moral force."
She underlined that NAM's founding was inspired by the 10 principles laid out by leaders of newly independent countries in Asia and Africa who met in the West Java city of Bandung in 1955.
NAM has also failed to live up to some of the 10 Bandung Principles, which, she said, include respect for fundamental human rights and non-aggression against other countries.
Dewi however recognized that the Movement has been more relevant to member countries since Indonesia took over the chairmanship in 1992,
In the wake of the Cold War, Indonesia succeeded in maintaining the relevance of NAM as a moral force in international diplomacy, despite the neutral platform on which the group of Third World countries was founded.
Juwono in his paper focused on Indonesia's leadership of the Movement, which he said deserves better recognition by the Indonesian people.
Indonesia's leadership style, patience and hard work has been highly appreciated by other member countries, he said.
Juwono said that in order to remain effective, NAM should now be run by "managers" and not by "political builders". (anr)