Response to U.S. rights report a must: Marzuki

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian government must explain its human rights policy and its implementation to the United States, a leading human right campaigner said yesterday.

Marzuki Darusman, vice chairman of the National Commission on Human Rights, said Indonesia should respond to a recent report by the U.S. State Department criticizing the government's human rights record and policy.

Indonesia could no longer simply dismiss such reports as interference in the country's domestic affairs, Marzuki said.

"That kind of statement wouldn't solve the problem," he told reporters.

In its annual human rights report last week, the U.S. State Department said that "despite a surface adherence to democratic forms, the Indonesian political system remains strongly authoritarian."

The report said Indonesia's judiciary was effectively subordinated to the executive and the military and suffers from corruption.

The Indonesian government has not responded to the report.

Marzuki said human rights has become an international concern that Indonesia could not afford to ignore or simply be defensive about.

The government must give a clear and credible explanation of the human rights situation to foreign countries, he said.

"The most important thing is that the government must demonstrate a clear commitment that it would do everything in its power to handle all human rights violations here," he said.

He warned that if the government chose to ignore the report, it could be interpreted abroad as acceptance of the allegations contained therein. "The world would also think that Indonesia is having difficulties denying the allegations," he added.

Marzuki urged the government to take necessary steps to minimize the impact the report might have on Indonesia.

"We cannot deny that the report will affect the perception foreign countries have of the human rights situation here.

"The report could be widely circulated in many international non-governmental organizations, diplomatic corps and the United Nations bodies," he said .

The government should also clarify the report's accuracy, Marzuki said, recalling that the commission had found inaccuracies in previous State Department reports.

The latest report comes as U.S. President Bill Clinton is seeking Congressional support for his administration's decision to support an International Monetary Fund (IMF) rescue plan for Indonesia and other Asian states hit by financial turmoil.

Many members of Congress have criticized the policy saying the United States should not be involved in the IMF rescue.

Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott took preemptive aim at such criticism Friday, telling a news conference that strong U.S. support for IMF bailouts in Asia would foster greater openness and transparency.

Washington has pledged but not yet released $3 billion for the IMF-led $43 billion rescue package for Indonesia.

Indonesia has been a close ally of the United States since the late-1960s, but ties have frayed since the end of the Cold War, especially after a shooting incident in East Timor in 1991. (byg)