Security plan 'must protect rights'

JAKARTA (JP): Human rights activists expressed their alarm at the implications of human rights protection of the Armed Forces' stern plans to crack down on possible disturbances during March's plenary meeting of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).

Marzuki Darusman of the National Commission on Human Rights said the Armed Forces' determination to secure the meeting should not disregard the importance of human rights protection.

"The commission will send a letter to the Armed Forces concerning this matter," Marzuki told journalists.

He said the commission regards such a letter necessary as the commission has a great interest in creating a conducive atmosphere toward the advancement and protection of human rights.

"Armed Forces Commander's (Gen. Feisal Tanjung) statement could deliver the wrong impression of human rights protection," he said.

Feisal said Monday commanders and top officials of the Armed Forces will meet next month in Jakarta to map out a contingency plan against disturbances during the plenary meeting of the MPR in March.

The 1,000-strong assembly in March will elect a new president and vice president and endorse the State Policy Guidelines.

When pressed to elaborate on the possible threats to the assembly, Feisal said: "We will crack down on any anti-government movements."

Marzuki said Feisal's remark worried the National Commission on Human Rights who feared it could affect the promotion and advancement of human rights in Indonesia.

"(The Armed Forces) should try its best to manage what it is saying," Marzuki said.

"The statement should be more polite... I think polite words would be more effective," he said.

Universal

Marzuki also said yesterday the National Commission on Human Rights would not respond to the Foundation of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI)'s year-end human rights evaluation.

In the evaluation, YLBHI said members of the National Commission on Human Rights had yet to agree on whether human rights was a universal concept or unique to different societies.

Marzuki, Baharuddin Lopa, Miriam Budiardjo and Nurcholish Madjid were among the commission's members who believed in a universality of the concept, while Muladi said a country's social and cultural interest should precede human rights implementation.

"Institutionally, the commission will not give an official statement concerning this matter as the document was not directed to the commission," Marzuki said.

"What I can say is that the members who were mentioned (in the evaluation) should respond in their individual capacity," said Marzuki.

But Marzuki said that since the Vienna Declaration in 1993, the debate between "western human rights and "eastern human rights" no longer exists. (10)