President Habibie warns nation about mass actions

President Habibie warns nation about mass actions

JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie warned the nation on
Wednesday evening that ongoing mass actions, especially those
which have been marred by vandalizing and looting, were against
the spirit of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, the 50th
anniversary of which falls on Thursday.

He said stern action was needed to stamp out the trend without
neglecting human rights.

"Hesitant and weak action could in fact provoke even more
brutal mass actions, which in the end would lead to even more
victims and abuses of human rights," Habibie said during a
televised speech to mark the 50th anniversary of the declaration.

He said that poverty and the potential for conflict in society
made upholding the law and respecting human rights very
complicated and warned that if repeatedly criticized, security
personnel could "become hesitant to take action", opening the
door to anarchy in Indonesia.

Habibie asserted that the supremacy of the law and a greater
awareness of human rights were needed and appealed to all
citizens to work toward achieving this goal.

Upholding the supremacy of the law, he added, would ensure
that "power never becomes attached to individuals, including the
president."

Habibie said that promoting human rights awareness was not the
sole responsibility of the government and commended the work of
religious leaders who are helping communities rebuild places of
worship damaged during recent riots. Without their efforts, he
said, losses could have been very much worse.

Numerous protests have been planned for Thursday in Jakarta to
press the government to prove its commitment to upholding human
rights. The government started a five-year National Action Plan
on Human Rights in June in a bid to improve its much maligned
international image on rights issues.

The government has ratified the Universal Declaration on Human
Rights.

Of the 25 human rights conventions passed by the United
Nations in implementing the 1948 document, Indonesia has ratified
five, one of which, the Convention against Torture and Other
Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, came into
effect only a fortnight ago. It has so far refused to sign up to
the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights. (prb)