Rights body called to study legal products
Rights body called to study legal products
SEMARANG (JP): A leading rights activist has called on the National Commission on Human Rights to study all legal products which could be used to violate human rights.
Speaking at a national seminar on human rights here yesterday, Abdul Hakim Garuda Nusantara said that the Commission should ask the authorities to review the laws and regulations immediately.
Though he did not elaborate on which regulations, many human rights activists point to the Ministry of Information and its press decree that has been used to ban newspapers and magazines.
The seminar was jointly sponsored by the National Committee of the 50th Anniversary of Indonesian Independence, the Rights Commission and the University of Diponegoro.
"To carry out the supervision job," Hakim said, "the Commission should consolidate itself and set up chapters in the provinces."
He said the Commission should also watch the behavior of the authorities and how they implement civic rights.
"The Commission should also conduct regular observations of human rights conditions in all provinces, especially in troubled areas like East Timor, Aceh and Irian Jaya," Hakim said.
He said these provinces are prone to troubles due to the high frequency of human rights violations and the absence of human rights institutions there.
The Commission's secretary-general, Baharuddin Lopa, told the seminar that respect of human rights is also in the interest of the government, which is trying to protect its image at home and abroad.
According to Baharuddin, the best way for Indonesia to counter outside accusations of human rights violations is "to stop our habit of violating the basic rights, and this is especially relevant for the authorities."
Respect starts with each individual, he said. "Every Indonesian should be able to control him or herself and not show any attitude or take any action which could affect the basic rights of others," Baharuddin said.
While Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono said in his speech that besides the continued efforts by the government to respect human rights, there have been violations of the rights which were done by state apparatus or criminals.
He said that the recent establishment of various human rights organizations reflects a rising concern with the fate of democracy, human rights and the environment.
Musa Hitam, the chairman of the United Nations Human Rights Commission, said at the seminar that national development is inseparable from democracy because both are needed to secure human rights for each citizen.
"But no government is expected to use poverty and backwardness as reasons to violate human rights," said Musa, who is a veteran Malaysian politician.
The seminar will continue today with speeches by various experts and scholars such as Nurcholish Madjid and Franz Magnis Suseno. (har/tis)