NGOs slam Susilo for weak rights policies

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Top human rights groups slammed the administration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Thursday for failing to protect human rights during its first year in office.

Human rights watchdogs including the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (Elsam), the Legal Aid Foundation and the Human Rights Working Group highlighted several cases of human rights abuses over the past year, as well as government policies that threatened freedom of expression.

They cited a series of attacks by Muslim groups on minority Christian communities and Ahmadiyah, an Islamic group that is viewed by some as heretical. The rights groups also deplored the police's failure to take action against the attackers.

Usman Hamid of Kontras warned that a government plan to reactivate the military's much-criticized territorial commands to fight terrorism would deal a blow to people's freedom.

Activists have said that reviving the commands could pave the way for the military to become involved in politics and rights abuses, as occurred during the Soeharto era.

"If it (the plan) realized it would be a major blow to democracy," Usman said during a press conference. "The plan views civilians as part of the terror threat, while in fact it could be the security officers who are the threat (to the people)."

The plan to reactive the military's territorial commands came from Indonesian Military chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, following calls from President Susilo for the military to be proactive in fighting terrorism.

Since Soeharto lost power, the military's role has been reduced to protecting the country from external threats, with internal security, including fighting terrorism, being left to the police.

The rights groups also criticized court decisions acquitting police officers accused of gross rights violations in the Papua regency of Abepura, as well as the acquittal on all charges of Maj. Gen. Sriyanto, who led the bloody Army crackdown on Muslim protesters in Tanjung Priok, Jakarta, in 1984.

The groups said these decisions indicated that security authorities could commit rights violations with impunity.

The groups also slammed what they saw as the government's lack of commitment to improving the economic, political and social conditions of the indigenous peoples of Papua.

"It is ironic, we just ratified two (international) covenants on civilian political rights and on economic, social and cultural rights earlier this month, but the government's policies do not represent a respect for the covenants," Ifdhal Kasim of Elsam said.

Ifdhal also criticized the government's decision to raise fuel prices, saying it "prevents people from escaping from years of economic hardship".

The groups urged both Susilo and Vice President Yusuf Kalla to improve their performances for the remainder of their term, otherwise "we will persuade legislators to file for impeachment".