One ban in 11 days in the last five years

One ban in 11 days in the last five years

JAKARTA (JP): A leading human rights campaigner has every reason to be displeased with Indonesia's record in respecting the freedom of expression, which is guaranteed by the constitution.

Abdul Hakim Garuda Nusantara has calculated that, over the past five years, Indonesia has curtailed the freedom of expression once every 11 days in the form of an official ban. The executive director of the Institute for People's Advocacy and Study said 164 bans were issued between 1990 and 1995.

The three most-often cited reasons for issuing the bans were the absence of a permit, no recommendation from the police and fear of public disorder, he said as quoted by Antara.

The events most affected by the government bans generally involved seminars, discussions, lectures and cultural performances, all of which accounted for 74 bans. Books and mass media publications were hit with 56 bans.

Over the last five years, the security apparatus ordered 71 of the bans and the Attorney General's Office 39 bans.

Indonesia's record of respecting the freedom of association, which is also guaranteed by the constitution, is not much better. According to Abdul Hakim, 130 gatherings of all sorts have been banned since 1990, including those gatherings broken up by police halfway through.

Abdul Hakim said the legal basis for these bans was questionable and not consistent with universal principles of democracy and human rights.

He called on the government to quickly ratify international conventions on civil and political rights, which, he said, would strengthen the legal basis for the freedom of association.

He noted that the bans affected not only political or mass organizations, but meetings of students, professionals, farmers, laborers and as well as religious and cultural gatherings.

"It (the ban) even happened to a halal bi halal," he said, referring to the traditional get-together held by Moslems after the Ramadhan fasting month. (emb)