The importance of human rights

The importance of human rights

By Aleksius Jemadu

JAKARTA (JP): Concern for human rights abuses in developing
countries has become a hotly debated topic in post Cold War
international relations. Leaders of Western developed countries,
in particular, seem to be quite critical of developing countries'
human rights records. Unfortunately, instead of finding a common
ground to promote human rights in the globalization process,
leaders of developed and developing countries tend to point a
finger at each other and neglect improving their political
behavior.

Respect for human rights all over the world can only be
achieved through mutual understanding and sincere cooperation by
all parties. It is equally important to note that developing
countries cannot be forced to improve their human rights records
as a response to external demands. Western leaders need to
understand human rights problems in developing countries in the
whole context of their complexity.

We shouldn't be proud of the fact that the closer we get to
modern civilization, the less our respect for the basic rights of
our fellow citizens. Modernization is aimed at producing a more
comfortable and prosperous life for all humankind. But as
modernization has become an end in itself there is a tendency to
use all available means to reach one's egoistic and partisan
objectives. "Human needs" which are to be met through economic
development should not be transformed into "human wants" for
there are sufficient resources to meet the former but not for the
latter.

Modern civilization ought to be based on the endorsement of
people's civil rights and a sense of commonality. It is
unthinkable that modern people are always trying to collect
wealth. When we live on cash alone, we take nothing to the grave.
Such people could even leave the seeds of quarrels among his
offspring who would scramble for their common heritage.

As latecomers to economic modernization, people in developing
countries should learn more from the experience of industrial
societies. Although we have to emulate their tenacity in
mastering modern science and technology, we need to be critical
of their social and economic objectives so that we might not
reach economic progress at the expense of our noble moral values.
It should be noted that as one gets more prosperous economically,
there is always a strong temptation to neglect more
transcendental aspects of life. After all, where your treasure
is, there your heart will also be. In this modern world, there is
a crying need to make life more morally purposeful so that human
life might reach a fullness of meaning.

It must be recognized that it is not easy to achieve economic
progress and social justice at the same time. But governments in
developing countries may not justify their authoritarian rule by
arguing that they have their own conception about human rights.
If they do, there is a danger that whoever holds political power
has the authority to arbitrarily determine human rights
conditions. In extreme cases, like in Mobutu's Zaire or Hitler's
Germany, the government might be the citizens' enemy and a danger
to individual health and safety. In today's borderless world we
are always under increasing pressure to develop a broader
perspective on problems of human rights and environmental
protection.

In any case, respect for human beings is a universal value.
Immanuel Kant, a moral philosopher, even regards this value as an
end in itself. There is no law under the sun which would be
against the principle of "do unto others what you would have
others do unto you". We would accept Jack Donnelly's definition
of human rights which refers to "the rights one has simply by
virtue of being a human being". As such, any interpretation of
human rights should involve an entitlement that an individual can
use to make a moral claim on others who are bound to respect
those rights. Therefore, any human rights violation should be
considered a fundamental wrongdoing.

Although the idea of individual human rights is Western in
origin, the institutionalization of this idea in international
treaties such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(UDHR), would bind all nations to accept such an idea. The UDHR
declares that its aim is to set "a common standard of achievement
for all peoples and nations" in respecting human rights. If we
accept the universal concept of human rights then we have to
reject cultural relativism which is often misused by governments
in developing countries to justify their repressive regimes.

A range of human rights mentioned in the UDHR includes "the
right to life, liberty and security of person", freedom from
"inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment", and "arbitrary
arrest, detention, or exile", freedom of "movement and
residence", "the right to freedom of thought, conscience and
religion", "the right to property", and the right to have a say
in the process of governance. In an effort to codify, expand, and
make binding the rights set out in the UDHR, since 1966 the UN
General Assembly has adopted the International Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights (Richard W. Mansbach, 1997).

It is an undeniable fact that sensitivity toward individual
rights in the international community in recent decades has
increased. There seems to be an ongoing global awareness that
human rights should be respected by all governments throughout
the world. The role of international human rights figures like
Nelson Mandela, Jimmy Carter, and Dalai Lama -- just to name a
few -- and global campaigns conducted by human rights non-
governmental organizations, especially Amnesty International,
could make things more difficult for government leaders in
developing countries.

There are several ways to deal with international criticism
against the human rights record. First, we have to start from a
consistency in carrying out gradual reforms in the political
system itself. Governments in developing countries have the
capacity to initiate more transparency and openness so that their
citizens might have the opportunity to influence the governance
process. There are ample instances at the international level
which demonstrate the success of political democratization.
Political changes in Russia, East and Central Europe, Latin
America, and South Africa have led to a more "human" interaction
between the ruler and the ruled.

Second, we need to empower the role of the National Commission
on Human Rights and make it more independent. It is encouraging
to learn that more and more groups in society channel their
complaints against the abuse of human rights by government
officials through this body. The credibility of our human rights
body could determine whether we have a good or bad reputation at
the international level.

Third, Indonesian diplomats abroad should be more aggressive
in explaining the complexity of development in a developing
society such as ours. They are required to be more professional
and knowledgeable about social and political dynamics at home.
Unfortunately, there is a widely accepted impression that our
diplomats tend to use the "defensive approach" instead of taking
the initiative to convince their fellow diplomats about the
complexity of human rights issues in Indonesia.

Finally, the integration of our society into the international
community cannot be denied. We have become a part of a community
which is increasingly critical over whatever we do with our
citizens. International criticism against our human rights record
is not always negative. It is sometimes needed to improve the
quality of our social and political life as a modern state.

The writer is Director of the Parahyangan Center for
International Studies (PACIS), Parahyangan Catholic University,
Bandung.

Window: If we accept the universal concept of human rights then
we have to reject cultural relativism which is often misused by
governments in developing countries to justify their repressive
regimes.