Jakarta – Non-government organisations are pessimistic and concerned about the prospects for upholding human rights and solving past human rights violation. They say they hold little hope that there will be any improvements or progress in 2008.

This statement was conveyed during a press conference titled Prospect for Upholding Human Rights in 2008, which was held by the Coalition of Human Rights Non-government Organisations (KON-HAM) and the Victims of Human Rights Violations (KP-HAM) at the Indonesian Human Rights Foundation (YLBHI) building on Thursday January 3.

The NGO activists predicted moreover that issues related to human rights and solving past rights violations will just be turned into a political commodity by the government as well as politicians and the political parties. Particularly given that there is only a year left until the general elections.

“The truth is that in the lead up to the 2009 general elections what has been happening is a commodification of human rights issues. [And] of course this is not to solve existing cases of human rights violations. This situation has also been followed inconsistent policies and an unwillingness on the part of the government to resolve existing cases”, said Rafendi Djamin from the Human Rights Working Group (HRWG).

Aside from HRWG, also present were representatives from a number of other NGOs such as YLBHI chairperson Patra M. Zen, Usman Hamid from the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), Father Romo Sandyawan, Asfinawati from the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation and Rusdi Marpaung from Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial).

Representative from the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), the Indonesian Center for Democracy and Human Rights (Demos), the gay rights group Arus Pelangi, the women’s organisation Kalyanamitra, the International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (Infid), the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI) and the secular based Wahid Institute also attended the press conference.

Djamin further predicted that the government’s unwillingness to solve past cases of human rights violations along with its pursuit of inconsistent policies have become very apparent, for example in the case of the Indonesia-East Timor Truth and Friendship Commission (KKP).

According to Djamin, next February the Indonesia-East Timor KKP will release a report on the results of its activities. It is certain however that this report will only further reaffirm the lack of accountability by those who have perpetrated violence, the very accountably that the international community and the families of the victims are calling for. “So, it is not strange that human rights issues will only be turned into a political commodity by the political actors in the lead up to the 2009 general elections, particularly by those who are strongly suspected to be perpetrators of past human rights violations”, asserted Djamin.

Sandyawan reminded participants that there is a way to prevent efforts to turn the issue of resolving human rights violations into a political commodity, that is to give precedence to accountability. “Not just state institutions, but all elements of society, including NGOs, having the courage to audit themselves and be politically responsible to the public”, he said. (DWA)

[Translated by James Balowski.]