People behind the Nobel Committee

By Meidyatama Suryodiningrat

JAKARTA (JP): Just days after the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced the winners of the 1996 Peace prize, Indonesia's Ambassador to Oslo was on the defensive saying that little could have been done to present a counter argument to the selection of East Timor separatist leader Jose Ramos Horta.

Ambassador Amiruddin Noor, who was in Jakarta at the time, said the selection committee would not have listened to an official argument on why Horta should not have been chosen.

He said the committee had an established mindset on who it should listen to so information on candidates was often biased and subject to the whim of "experts" called in to advise the committee.

While Amiruddin's perception might be biased in favor of Jakarta's official line, it is interesting to review the make-up and selection of the Nobel Committee.

The five members of the committee are all Norwegian. They are selected for three-year terms by the Norwegian Parliament.

While it works as an independent body, the committee's composition has been known to reflect the political strength of the parties in the parliament. In fact, two of the five members of the committee were long serving members of parliament.

Since 1991 The Nobel Committee has been chaired by 60-year-old Francis Sejersted, a professor of economics and social history, who has been a member of the committee for nearly 15 years.

Acting as deputy is Hanna Kristine, 70, who served in the Norwegian parliament from 1973 to 1989. She has been on the committee since 1991.

Former Prime Minister Odvar Nordli, 69, has sat on the committee since 1985. He is a highly experienced politician who served in the parliament for almost a quarter of a century and was prime minister from 1976-1981.

Gunnar Johan Stalsett, 61, first served on the Nobel Committee from 1984 to 1990 and was reelected in 1994. Currently a rector at the Practical Theological Seminary at the University of Oslo, Stalsett has served as General Secretary to the Church of Norway's Council on foreign relations and the Lutheran World Federation.

The committee's fifth member is Kaare Sandegren, 67, who has been active in both the Norwegian and European Confederation of Trade Unions.

Since the prize began in 1901 the prize's strength and prestige has been in the perception that candidates undergo thorough scrutiny with data gathered from knowledgeable experts.

In the early years, the Nobel peace prize was given to peace work pioneers. However, since the early sixties human rights champions have been given more weight.

There are no real requirements for candidates. It is open to all irrespective of nationality, profession, ethnicity or ideology.

Someone only needs to be nominated and have their names submitted before Feb. 1 in the year the award is being given out.

Those eligible to submit candidates are members and past members of the Nobel Committee, members of various national assemblies and governments, past recipients, members of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, members of the International Court of Justice and the International Court of Arbitration in the Hague.

Others who can nominate candidates are professors in political science, law, history and philosophy, along with members of the Commission of the Permanent International Peace.

After Feb. 1, the committee begins reviewing the personal data of the nominees. A short list is drawn-up and deliberations begin. The number of candidates submitted in recent years is said have been about 100 each year.

There is no official announcement on each year's list of candidates. Nevertheless, institutions or individuals who have nominated a candidate sometimes go public as a campaign strategy. This is generally considered counterproductive.

During deliberations the committee can call in experts to brief them on a nominee.

Since nationality has no bearing, official political or diplomatic support is disregarded by the committee.

Deliberations and voting are conducted in great secrecy. No record of the debates concerning a candidate is made.

The arguments made within the committee are not allowed to be divulged. No public debates are held by the committee before or after the Dec. 10 presentation ceremony.

Therefore, no one knows the arguments and reasons for the selection of a nominee other than the committee's official announcement. The committee's decision is final and immune to appeals.

It is this exclusive and secret selection process which has left many Indonesians wondering why Horta was selected.

Just as Ambassador Amiruddin spoke out days after the announcement, Foreign Minister Ali Alatas again expressed his confusion at the committee a few days before the award ceremony.

"With all due respect to the five persons who constitute the membership of the Nobel Peace Prize committee, with all my due respect to their wisdom and experience, I think they made a choice which we believe was not a very good choice as far as Ramos Horta was concerned," Alatas said.

"We are astounded, we remain completely at a loss what the motivations and considerations are for his selection."