Rights commission needs definition

JAKARTA (JP): The armed forces said yesterday that the National Commission on Human Rights should define the scope of its authority to reduce potential conflicts with the government.

Armed Forces Chief for Sociopolitical Affairs Lt. Gen. Syarwan Hamid said that the three-year-old commission is subject to official scrutiny because it steps into the government's field of jurisdiction.

Syarwan suggested that the commission draw up a job description for its members.

"The job description is needed because the commission has to handle a wide range of cases," he said.

Syarwan was commenting on the allegation that the rights commission has gone beyond its authority in mediating disputes.

Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and Security Soesilo Soedarman said at the opening of the second National Workshop on Human Rights on Wednesday that the government believes that the rights body has been directly involved in the settlement of legal disputes and has overstepped its role as a monitoring and investigating body.

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

Syarwan said the armed forces do not mean to suggest that the government should dictate what the commission should or should not do.

He added that the commission should focus not only on "minor" problems, but also "major" ones at the national level.

Syarwan also praised the commission for its contribution to the protection of human rights in Indonesia.

"The commission's findings have helped the authorities much in settling human rights problems," he said. "The commission's mediation in various conflicts have been effective."

Despite many people's initial doubts about its effectiveness and independence, the rights commission has slowly gained respect for objective and thorough work. It has earned praise from various quarters, both local and foreign.

Over its three years of existence, the body has handled reports of a wide range of rights violations in cases ranging from the installation of high-voltage power towers over housing settlements to murders and cases of violence by authorities, to political disputes.

The latest major issue handled by the commission is the July 27 riots in Jakarta. The commission concluded that five people were killed and 23 went missing. It asked the armed forces to track down on those missing but there has been no indication that the authorities will do it. (imn)