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)