Rights activist Jesse Jackson meets Megawati

Rights activist Jesse Jackson meets Megawati

JAKARTA (JP): United States civil rights activist Jesse
Jackson met with ousted leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party
(PDI) Megawati Soekarnoputri, lending her moral support and
expressing hope for a fair and honest election here next year.

The meeting took place yesterday amid heavy security by some
50 plainclothes police officers who joined in the media frenzy at
Hilton Hotel's Lagoon Tower, where Jackson stayed during his
visit to Indonesia.

In a press conference afterward, Jackson said he discussed a
"wide range" of subjects with Megawati, including the current
situation of civil rights in Indonesia.

"Our concern is that as governments in this region develop,
there would be some...sharing of values as a basis of a full
relationship," he said.

"We may not share cultures, but we must have shared values...
There's room for variations in culture and beliefs, (but) there
must be some shared values in this new world economic order," he
said.

Jackson's three-day visit to Indonesia included a visit to the
headquarters of the unrecognized Indonesian Prosperous Labor
Union, the government-backed Federation of All-Indonesian Workers
Union and an Indonesian-South Korean joint venture factory
producing sport shoes for the U.S.-based Reebok company.

He failed, however, to visit a Nike-affiliated factory which
was recently accused of unfair labor practices.

In a letter from Nike's Washington, D.C. office to Jackson,
made available to the press yesterday, Nike said it doubted the
visit of Jackson and his Rainbow Coalition would be "unbiased".

"Nike has always welcomed unbiased observers in our
subcontracted facilities... Unfortunately, our previous
experience with the Rainbow Coalition leads us to believe that
your visit would lack that unbiased approach," the letter read.

Commenting on the issue, Jackson acknowledged yesterday that
Reebok was "at least open enough to all of us to meet with them
in a tour".

On Nike, he said: "Nike, because of their sense of
embarrassment about many of the conditions in their plants would
not allow us to tour their facilities".

He considered that Nike had moved from South Korea, "where it
has an abundant cheap labor base", to Indonesia. "And now (they
are) moving on to China," he said.

Jackson said his discussions with Megawati included issues on
labor rights, women's rights and children's rights in the
country.

He said there should be a commitment to human rights, free
political systems, self-determination, labor rights and "free and
fair trade unions without military interference".

"As we move towards world stability, the rights of workers and
human rights must be central to any country pursuing economic
justice and development," Jackson said.

Megawati said she wanted Americans to be aware that general
elections will be held in Indonesia next year and that PDI was
hoping for one that meets the principles of a free, confidential
and direct election.

"(Jackson) has sympathized deeply on this... And if
politically, such an election cannot be held, it will be seen
very clearly," she said.

In his response, Jackson said that Megawati's requests was a
"reasonable expectation".

"I hope that in the election next year, we can all feel a
sense of optimism taking place under these conditions," he said.

The concerns about human rights and democracy in Indonesia
were also raised by The New York Times in its editorial on
Saturday timed to coincide with the visit of U.S. Secretary of
State Warren Christopher for the ASEAN meetings, UPI reported.

The Times said Washington should be more "forthright" in
approaching Indonesia.

"America should stand behind the efforts of Indonesia's
impressive network of independent civic organizations to smooth
the transition toward a more democratic future," the Times wrote
in its editorial on Saturday.

"As Indonesia's second-largest trading partner and one of its
largest sources of foreign investment, the United States could
exert a significant positive influence.

"The Clinton administration has been understandably eager to
increase American business involvement in booming Southeast Asia.
But Washington should not pursue business promotion at the
expense of efforts to encourage respect for labor standards,
human rights, and the environment," it said.

"In Jakarta, Ambassador Stapleton Roy has set a good example
by standing up to pressure from Freeport-McMoran Copper and Gold
Inc., which wants Washington to withdraw financial support from a
local environmental organization that has challenged the
company's mining practices.

"The administration is right to pursue economic opportunities
in Indonesia. But it best serves American values and longer-term
business interests by supporting those Indonesians now pressing
for increased democracy and human rights," it said. (pwn/mds)