Rights body warned over its mission

Rights body warned over its mission

JAKARTA (JP): The government warned yesterday the National
Commission on Human Rights for allegedly overstepping its
boundaries, and told the body to stick to its mission.

Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and Security
Soesilo Soedarman said, at the opening of the second National
Workshop on Human Rights, the government has received the
impression that the rights body has been directly involved in the
settlement of legal disputes.

"There is an impression, still in need of verification, that
the National Commission on Human Rights has been 'operationally'
involved in legal disputes," Soesilo told participants.

He said the commission, established through presidential
decree in 1993, is only supposed to monitor possible violations
of human rights, report to the relevant authorities, and issue
recommendations for action.

"The commission has overstepped its role as a monitoring and
investigating body," he said.

Despite many people's initial doubts about its effectiveness
and independence, the rights commission has slowly gained respect
for objective and thorough work.

Over the past three years of its existence, the body has
handled reports of rights violations in cases as seemingly petty
as the installation of high-voltage power towers over housing
settlements, to murders and cases of violence by authorities.

The commission has earned praise from various parties, local
and foreign.

Soesilo did not deny that some of the government's development
programs have created conditions prone to human rights
violations.

But he appeased people's concerns and told them not to worry,
saying there are plenty of laws and regulations in existence to
protect the people.

Many of the 200 people participating in the workshop welcomed
Soesilo's remarks.

Commission member Clementino Dos Reis Amaral said the rights
commission was neither surprised nor disappointed by Soesilo's
criticism.

"We consider Soesilo's criticism the same as concerns raised
by non-governmental organizations, for instance. We take those
criticisms as input," he said.

However, Amaral defended the commission's deep involvement in
certain cases.

"Sometimes it's unavoidable. We can't let the people wait in
uncertainty. Or should we reject their requests for help?" he
said.

He said the commission had been doing its utmost and should be
praised, not criticized.

"We help settle disputes, which other institutions have failed
to do. Just ask the people why they come to the rights commission
for help and not to other institutions," he said.

He suggested a way to help reduce people's over-dependence on
the commission. Namely, the restoration of the function of the
House of Representatives as a place where people could take their
grievances.

Another alternative, Amaral suggested, would be to give the
body the authority to impose punishments on individuals or
organizations which disobey its recommendations.

Commission chairman Munawir Sjadzali denied the body had been
directly involved in settling disputes.

"We are not security officers and we have never been involved
in the 'operational settlement' of disputes. We only monitor,
collect data and information on rights violations here.. and
submit the report to the government for immediate and further
response," he said.

Commission member Asmara Nababan did not bother to mask his
annoyance at Soesilo's remarks.

"We have never violated procedures," he said.

A.A. Baramuli, another commission member, joined the chorus of
denial, saying the commission only mediated and fostered
situations where disputing parties could settle their own
conflicts.

The three-day workshop is organized by the commission in
cooperation with Sweden's Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human
Rights and Humanitarian Law. (imn/amd)