NGOs slam Susilo for weak rights policies

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".