The human rights debate

One of the items on the People's Consultative Assembly's (MPR) agenda that is at present attracting the attention of almost all the political factions relates to the question of human rights. The issue has become tricky since the Karya Pembangunan faction made known its views on the matter. Its position diverges from the views of the United Development Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party factions, as well as some non-governmental organizations and legal experts who had earlier expressed that there is a need for a special legislative decree on the protection of human rights.

The Karya Pembangunan faction, which is an extension of Golkar, was initially strongly opposed to the legitimization of human rights through such a decree. But to avoid the impression that it was against protecting human rights, Golkar finally gave in. However, in doing so, Golkar, which holds an absolute majority in both the House of Representatives and the MPR, created a new complication.

In the view of Golkar, as conveyed by its general chairman Harmoko, there is no need for the protection of human rights to be elucidated in a special legislative decree. Its inclusion in the assembly's policy directives for the government (the so- called Broad Outlines of State Policy) would suffice because the matter was already covered by various existing legislation.

In the longer term, however, a legislative product dealing specifically with human rights would be most advantageous. Such legislation -- in the form of a MPR decree, for example -- would make it easier for us to rebuff allegations about human rights abuses in this country. The fact that, implicitly, our constitution already pays due respect to human rights, is not something that is unique to Indonesia.

Golkar's reluctance in this matter may be compared to its reluctance to formally accept the principle of honest and fair elections.

-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta