Jokowi-JK Urged to Prioritize Eight Issues

Indonesian Version

 
Ricky Pratomo, Ady Thea Dian
 

 

Over the course of the past two years, while plenty of economic-policy packages have been forthcoming, the administration of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Vice President Jusuf Kalla (JK) has posted slow progress as regards the settlement of a number of problems which still persist in the area of human rights and the reformation of the state-security apparatus.
 
Imparsial, an Indonesian human-rights watchdog, has noted that at least eight issues have not yet been properly addressed by the Jokowi-JK Administration.
 
The first of these issues is simply the right to live. Gufron Mabruri, Vice Director of Imparsial, stated recently that in terms of the death penalty, the current government has executed some 18 convicts out of a total of 84 who currently reside on death row. According to Imparsial, these telling figures reveal that the Jokowi-JK administration is not politically committed to upholding the right to live.
 
The second issue of concern to Imparsial is the freedom to practice certain religions and to hold certain beliefs. Mr. Mabruri observed that over the past two years, religious intolerance among the general public has persisted. Moreover, human-rights violations aimed towards minority groups have tended to be ignored by the government, while a number of citizens have been convicted on the grounds of religion desecration. The destruction and prohibition of many place of worships is also a persistent concern.
 
According to Imparsial, the issues outlined above are being exacerbated however, owing to the suspension of discussions on the Draft Bill on the Protection of Religious Communities. The Draft Bill is widely expected to bolster the population’s freedom to choose as regards religions and beliefs. As of the present however, Law No. 1/PNPS/1965 continues to be implemented across the country and compromises religious freedom of choice.
 
“This regulation is being misused, not only by various intolerant groups across the nation but also by the government itself in order to limit the public’s freedom of choice in terms of religious beliefs,” Mr. Mabruri asserted during a press conference which was held in Jakarta on Wednesday, 19 October.
 
Mr. Mabruri then pointed to a third problematic issue, specifically the protection of freedom of expression. Mr. Mabruri stated that many violations regarding freedom of expression continue to be committed across the country, such as the prohibition and disbandment of discussions and screening events relating to films dealing with the country’s 1965 tragedy.
 
Related to this issue is the issue of protection for human-rights activists. Mr. Mabruri expressed his disappointment in the violence which has been aimed at such activists, as well as the criminalization that they have had to endure during this first period of the Jokowi-JK Administration. Mr. Mabruri is concerned that human-rights activists are still perceived as disturbances and threats to the government, whereas in fact they are seeking to safeguard the implementation of human-rights protection, as set out under the Indonesian constitution.
 
The fifth issue of concern involves the settlement of the various serious human-rights violations committed during the country's past. Al Araf, Director of Imparsial, reminded Jokowi-JK that they should be focusing on settling the human-rights violations of the past, as they originally pledged to in their Nawacita programs. Unfortunately, Mr. Araf has observed that this commitment has not been followed up on during these first two years of the current administration's term of office. Indeed, the National Human Rights Commission (Komisi Nasional Hak Asasi Manusia – Komnas HAM) and the Public Prosecutor’s Office are still not cooperating properly with regard to the settlement of these historic cases, and thus the whole issue of historic human-rights violations has been left to stagnate.
 
Mr. Araf also highlighted a sixth issue, specifically the disclosure of the murder case involving Munir Said Thalib. According to Mr. Araf, the government has not yet published the investigation results which have been drawn up by the Munir case’s official fact-finding team (tim pencari fakta). This reluctance is widely perceived to indicate that Indonesia's National Intelligence Body (Badan Intelijen Negara – BIN) may well be involved in the case. In terms of this issue, Mr. Araf suggested that the government should commit to settling the Munir case once and for all and to revealing the names of the suspects who are alleged to have been involved.
 
Moving on, Mr. Araf also referred to a lack of reform in terms of state security. Mr. Araf asserted that over the past two years, Jokowi-JK have not paid much attention to the reform of the state-security sector, including the restructuring of the country’s Territorial Command (Komando Teritorial), the reformation of the military’s judicial system, transparency and accountability during the procurement of defense equipment (Alutsista), as well as the welfare of military personnel.
 
Concluding his statement, the Imparsial Director also mentioned the conflict in Papua as an eighth issue which should be addressed by the Jokowi-JK administration. Mr. Araf asserted his belief that President Jokowi had actually demonstrated a convincing stance as regards the solving of conflicts in Papua. However, both the development and security approaches which have been proposed as a solution to this long-standing conflict have not proved effective on a side-by-side basis. The result of this is that violence continues to scar Papua. Mr. Araf concluded by stating that ongoing conflicts in Papua reveal that the Jokowi-JK administration still lacks a comprehensive strategy for the settlement of the Papua issue.
 
(cd/sp)