House takes steps to fill rights commission ranks

The law commission at the House of Representatives has begun the task of filling the ranks of the National Human Rights Commission by selecting 43 candidates for nomination as rights commissioners.

House commission members were divided over the criteria to be met by candidates, but were united in the opinion that they must be strongly committed to protecting human rights and reducing complicated bureaucratic processes to make the rights body more effective in handling cases.

Commission chairman Trimedya Pandjaitan said that if the list of 43 candidates does not yield 35 qualified commissioners, those selected must provide a list of additional candidates within six months after their inauguration to the House.

Trimedya said candidates will be judged on their intellect, integrity and their responses to questions before the House.

"Time management is part of the judgment. Candidates have 45 minutes to explain their vision and mission. We want to know what their understanding of human rights is. The candidates are scored on a range from one to 100, with the passing score being 75," he said.

National Awakening Party (PKB) legislator Nursyahbani Katjasungkana said her party would prefer candidates who share the same interests as PKB, which she labeled pluralism and honoring the freedom of religion.

She added that her party also considered highly candidates' knowledge on national and international human rights legal instruments in addition to their experience and technical skills.

"From the five candidates screened this afternoon, all have met the criteria intellectually. However, the rights body needs human rights advocates who are sharp and quick in decision making. If all members are academics, it would be difficult, because they should be able to perform pro-justice investigations, which need technical skills," she said.

The five candidates were K.H. Abdul Muhaimin, Abdul Munir Mulkhan, A.A. Sudirman, Abdul Rasal Rauf and Adrianus E. Meliala.

The deputy chairman of the House law commission, Suripto, said he appreciated the candidates' qualities and valued their varied backgrounds, saying it would enrich the national rights body and help it accomplish its mission.

"Although the (majority) of the candidates are outgoing commissioners and human rights activists, many others are religious figures, researchers and lawyers. They are all assets that can enrich the rights body," he said.

Meliala, a criminologist from the University of Indonesia, said before presenting his vision before the commission that the rights body was in need of strong leadership with the political will to minimize the bureaucracy to make it more effective in handling rights abuse cases.

"The rights body also needs dedicated commissioners who have the capacity to work as a team so that all cases can be settled in accordance with the law," he said.

Asked to comment on unresolved human rights abuses such as the 1998-1999 Trisakti and Semanggi tragedies, the abduction of pro-democracy activists in 1998 and the shooting of Papuans in Abepura and Baliem Valley, he acknowledged that insufficient progress has been made in each of the cases.

"The public has high expectations of the rights body, but thus far the commission has fallen short," he said.





Source : www.thejakartapost.com