Rights commission needs definition
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)