Indonesia: Govt must honour basic rights

After a decade of reform, the government has yet to recognise basic economic, social and culture rights, according to the National Commission on Human Rights.

Unlike civil and political rights, which have garnered international recognition, economic, social and culture rights -- including to housing, health, education and employment -- are still low on the government's list of priorities due to uncontrolled liberalisation, the commission said.

"Liberalisation has allowed corporations to appropriate the government's role, causing it to lose control in our society," said the commission's deputy chairman, M. Ridha Saleh.

Under liberalisation, corporations have succeeded in taking advantage of Indonesia's regulations and bureaucracy, forcing the government to permit corporate management of the state's natural resources, which restricts their public benefit, he said.

"National regulations have served corporate interests. As firms are supported with existing regulations, their legal status is recognised, strengthening their position in society," Ridha said.

Since Indonesia's bureaucratic culture supports practices like bribery, no strict measures exist to control corporations, which have exploited the political elite, further weakening governmental authority, he said.

"Our political elite lacks the commitment necessary to support citizens' basic rights. Corporations can too easily manipulate them."

In order to restore threatened rights, the commission has called on the government to reclaim control from corporations. "The commission will prepare an official standing paper to address these issues and provide the government with several recommendations," Ridha said.

One recommendation is to force the business sector to be more responsible toward the public.

"Corporations have not fulfilled the public's economic, social and cultural rights. They will have to shift their mind-set and become responsible to the public," he said.

The commission will also push the government to address corporate violations of such rights and to consider criminal punishment for such violations, he added, citing cases involving Freeport, Newmont and Lapindo as examples.

"To do so, we are urging the government to ratify the Optional Protocol of the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment," he said.

The government has pledged to ratify ten other international human rights agreements by 2009, according to the commission.

Date: 12 July 2008

Source: The Jakarta Post