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5 Komnas HAM : the Cases 41 THESES SIS/LIBRARY TELEPHONE: +61 2 6125 4631 R.G. MENZIES LIBRARY BUILDING NO:2 FACSIMILE: +61 2 6125 4063 THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY EMAIL: [email protected] CANBERRA ACT 0200 AUSTRALIA USE OF THESES This copy is supplied for purposes of private study and research only. Passages from the thesis may not be copied or closely paraphrased without the written consent of the author. Komnas HAM and the Politics of Human Rights in Indonesia Jessica M. Ramsden Smith / March 1998 A thesis submitted for the degree of Master of Arts (Asian Studies) at the Australian National University Except where otherwise indicated this thesis is my own work d· r·-----·-···----·- -· ...... f.9..:.£.:1.~ .. iii Acknowledgments This study is the product of research carried out in Canberra and Jakarta between 1994 - 1997. The work is my own, but I would like to record my thanks to those who helped at various stages. I am grateful for the generous time and advice given by interviewees. Kornnas members were helpful and encouraging. I would particularly like to thank Vice­ Chairpersons Miriam Budiardjo and Marzuk:i Darusman, as well as Charles Himawan, (the late) Roekmini Koesoemo Astoeti and Deplu's Hassan Wirayuda Thanks to Dr. Harold Crouch who supervised and discussed my work, and offered his learned insight into Indonesian politics. Finally, my thanks to my husband Shannon, for his patience and support iv Contents Glossary and Abbreviations v 1 Introduction 1 P.art One : Tbe Origins of Kornnas HAM 2 Human Rights in Indonesia : The Domestic Context 4 3 Human Rights in Indonesia: The International Context 16 4 The Creation of Komnas HAM 29 Part Two : Komnas HAM : The First Year 5 Komnas HAM : The Cases 41 6 Komnas HAM: Building Relationships 60 7 Komnas HAM : Operational Influences 75 8 Conclusion 86 Appendix A : Komna.s Membership 92 Bibliography 95 v Glossary and Abbreviations ABRI Angkatan Bersenjata Republik Indonesia (The Indonesian A1med Forces) A SEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations DPR Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat (House of Representatives) DPRD Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Daerah (Regional Legislative Assembly) GOLKA.R Golongan Karya (The state political party) KEPRES Keputusan Presiden (Presidential Decree) KomnasHAM Komisi Nasional Hak-Hak Asasi Manusia (National Commission on Human Rights) NGO Non-Govenunent Organisation PKI Partai Komunis Indonesia (The Indonesian Communist Party) 1 1 INTRODUCTION There are some who see no good reason for establishing special machinery devoted to the promotion and protection of human rights. They may argue that such bodies are not a wise use of scarce resow= and that an independent judiciary and democ:ratically elected parliament are sufficient to ensure that human rights abuses do not occur. Unfortunately. history has taught us differently. An institution which is in some way separated from the responsibilities of exewtive governance and judicial administration is in a position to take a leading role in the field of human rights. By maintaining its real and perccived distance from the Government of the day. such a body can make a unique contribution to a country's efforts to protect its citizen.s and to develop a culture respectful of human rights and fundamental freedoms. I United Nations Centre for Human Rights Indonesia's National Commission on Human Rights (Komisi Nasional Hak Asasi Manusia - Komnas HAM) was established in June 1993 for the purpose of promoting and protecting human right~. Although by no means a perfect organisation, it surprised many sceptics by maintaining both a real and perceived distance from the government, and has made a unique contribution to Indonesia's efforts to protect its citiz.ens against human rights abuses aud to develop a culture and conditions conducive to the promotion and protection of human rights in Indonesia. The move to establish Komnas was viewed in a positive light by both cntics and supporters of the government Komnas quickly gained the respect of the Indonesian public, the international community, and Indonesian authorities, by balancing competing interests and playing politics in an area which was usually considered taboo on the political agenda . Komnas was fonned in an international and national environment of immense economic, political and social change. In Indonesia, for example, debate over presidential succession, the role of the military in state affairs and the rise of Islam as a political force, had created a climate of political lUlcertainty beyond the inevitability of change. EconomicaI!y, thirty years of development in Indonesia had created a hetter educated and lUnited Nations Centre for Human Rights ; National Hmnan Rights lnstitutions: A Haru!book on the EsJablishment and Strengthening of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Humw E.igl:ill, Professional Training Series No.4. 1995, p 36. 2 informed population and a burgeoning middle class, but it also created a growing underclass of underpaid factory workers, displaced farmers and politically dissatisfied students and intellectuals. In international affairs, the end of the Cold War realigned the parameters of bilatetal and multilateral partnerships and priorities. Regional trading blocs and international trade wars became more frequent, while human rights, democracy and environmental protection began to replace commnnism as bargaining chips in negotiations over trade deals and developmental aid. This environment, together with increasing demands (not just conducive conditions) for human rights protection, provided opportunities for new ideas and approaches to human rights protection, both in international and national forums. It was in this context that Komnas was formed. In one sense, this thesis is a study of the beginnings of Komnas HAM - how and by whom it was formed; how it developed during its formative 12 months; how it interacted with the predominant forces in Indonesian politics, and; how it attained a level of popularity unparalleled by any previous government effort to appease demands for human rights protection. How did Komnas achieve this balancing act? What does this say about the broader outlook for human rights in Indonesia? In a deeper sense, however, this thesis is a study of the politics of human rights in Indonesia. The New Order government's poor human rights record had been the subject of much criticism by both international and domestic human rights organisations since the 1960s. Until the early 1990s, however, the national and international political and economic climate did not require the government to give serious consideration to the protection of human rights. What changes occurred to alter the government's perception and consideration of human rights? Who and what was responsible for those changes? Alternatively, who and what resisted these changes? Answers to these questions vvill help to understand why human rights were ignored by the Indonesian government for so long, why human rights are emerging as an acoepted part of the domestic political agenda, and how this might influence Indonesia's future human rights record. The purpose of this study therefore, is to more fully understand the nature of the politics of human rights in Indonesia. In doing so, it also aims to contribute to the broader understanding of Indonesian politics by providing some insights into how the state works and how it is influenced by non-state actors such as the international community and domestic constituents. Indonesia's National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas) provides an insightful case study of this phenomenon. 3 The motivations, personalities and institutions behind Komnas HAM's formation in the early 1990s points to some of the forces motivating change, and why. The manner in which Komnas operated within the political and bureaucratic process was indicative of the manner in which human rights problems were perceived and handled. by Indonesian authorities generally. The interaction between Komnas, the public, the media and other human rights forums illustrated which forces in Indonesia were positive motivators for change, whereas the suspicions of and constraints and limitations placed on Komnas, illustrated which forces were more intent on maintaining the status quo. Most importantly, the relationship between Komnas and SuhartD illustrated the level to which its success is dependent upon presidential favour and throws into question how its achievements might endure a change at the top. The thesis is divided into two parts. The first part looks at the origins of Komnas HAM by examining domestic and international political, economic and social changes which contributed to an environment conducive to the formation of a national human rights commission. It then examines the politicking, negotiations, events and bureaucratic pr~ses which created Komnas HAM. The second part of the thesis looks at how Komnas operated during its first year by assessing the cases it handled, a~ well as the way it benefited from (or was constrained by) its relationships with government and non­ government groups, and how these factors determined its success or failure as a human rights commission. 4 2 Human Rights in Indonesia : The Domestic Context There are two main 'streams' in the discussion of human rights issues in Indonesia. Firstly, there is the large volume of literature and discussion in the press on the meaning and value of human rights in Indonesian history, law, politics, society and culture. This debate over an Indonesian view of human rights was
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