The human rights debate

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