Weekly Update Human Rights in Indonesia – 03-11-2014 Still searching for a prosecutor Impunity Kompas, 03-11-2014 New evidence in Talangsari and Munir case? As of 3 November no prosecutor has yet been appointed. Wahyudi Djafar from human rights organisation ELSAM states that so many human rights issues have KontraS public statement, 29-10-2014 got stuck in the Attorney General’s Office (AGO), that it will require a non- political appointment – with advice from the Komnas HAM – to clean it up. KontraS demands that the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) and the Prosecutor General (Kejaksaan Agung) call in AM Hendropriyono as soon as possible to give his testimony on the incident of Talangsari [1989] and the The Herb Feith Annual Memorial Lecture 2014 murder of Munir [2004]. By Sidney Jones; Inside Indonesia, November 2014 Retired general and former head of the Intelligence BIN, Hendropriyono, has Three conflicts which the Indonesian government has tried to solve offer some stated in an interview with American journalist Allan Nairn, that he as head of BIN sobering lessons for the country’s next president. A peace agreement in Aceh might be responsible for the murder of Munir. Hendropriyono said that he had stopped an insurgency but the former rebels proved to be bad political leaders. cooperated with CIA agents, his BIN counterparts from the US. Hendropriyono An agreement in Poso stopped Christian-Muslim fighting but left an extremist also said that he was ready to stand trial in a Human Rights Court. “If such a court network in place which continues to operate. A new policy unit was set up for is established for my trial, I am prepared,” he said. With regard to the Talangsari Papua that failed by concentrating only on economic development, while initial incident, he stated that the victims had committed suicide, and that they had not steps toward dialogue with Jakarta seem stalled. In August 2014 at Monash been killed by the army. These statements were published on Nairns private blog: University, Sidney Jones examined the reasons for these outcomes and what a www.allannairn.org new government might try going forward in the Herb Feith Memorial Lecture. KontraS notes that the Komnas HAM has already investigated the Talangsari For the edited transcript of the lecture, Melbourne, 20 August 2014 by Sidney incident, and that there was no such thing as suicide. The Komite Smalam, LBH Jones see: Lampung and KontraS have gathered enough testimonies on the case. It should be investigated as a crime against humanity by the army, more specifically by the http://www.insideindonesia.org/current-edition/lessons-learned-from-indonesia- Black Garuda Unit that was directly under the command of Hendropriyono. s-conflicts-aceh-poso-and-papua This Amnesty International Netherlands clipping service is made for Amnesty members and others interested in the human rights developments in Indonesia – for information only – not to be quoted as Amnesty information. For more information or to be included in or deleted from the mailing list, write to [email protected]. For back issues view http://www.marthameijer.org/page36.php 1 Weekly Update Human Rights in Indonesia – 03-11-2014 Political developments internal leaders be implemented in the parliamentary fractions whereas the (Red-and-White) DPR chairman Setya Novanto (Golkar) does not acknowledge this change. Therefore there are now two fractions of the PPP. Novanto stressed Parliament deeply divided that the whole process of division of positions complies with the DPR regulations. Kompas, 30-10-2014 Also within Golkar tensions rise. A group of Golkar Party politicians vying for the The Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat or DPR is already deeply divided over the party’s top job have warned their incumbent chairman Aburizal Bakrie against distribution of leadership positions among the political parties. The oppositional abusing his authority to stay in power. parties that have supported the presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto have a In a joint statement made on Thursday, the seven politicians — lawmakers majority in DPR seats, and elect their partners in the positions of chairs and vice- Airlangga Hartarto, Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita and Zainudin Amali, Golkar chairs of the parliamentary commissions. This division will become a real obstacle deputy chairman Agung Laksono, party executive Hajriyanto Thohari, former in the executive of the elected president Joko Widodo, so that ultimately the industry minister MS Hidayat and former lawmaker Priyo Budi Santoso — called people will be the victim of political powerplay. Yesterday (29/10) all except two on the party’s central executive board to organize an “honest, transparent and commissions had their leadership, all from the political parties Gerindra, Golkar, accountable”, selection process for the party’s new chairman. Demokrat, Partai Amanat Nasional, and Partai Keadilan Sejahtera. The political parties that support Jokowi, Partai Demokrasi Indonesia Perjuangan, Partai The joint statement was made after allegations were aired that several regional Kebangkitan Bangsa, Nasdem, Hanura, and PPP boycott the distribution of heads of the Golkar Party had become subject to intimidation ahead of the leadership positions. national congress. (The Jakarta Post, 31-10-2014) The PDI-P has together with its coalition partners announced that a rival leadership team of the DPR is elected consisting only of the coalition members. Jokowi responds to “Shadow Parliament” Kompas speaks in terms of “DPR tandingan”: competing parliaments. The Jakarta The Jakarta Globe, 31-10-2014 Post says it is “a mutiny in the House”. President Joko Widodo has expressed disappointment over his five-party Additional to this division between the two coalitions supporting the earlier coalition’s bid to appoint its own speaker and deputy speakers of the House of presidential contestors (the Read-and White Coalition of Prabowo and the Representatives after it was shut out from the key posts by the majority Wonderful Indonesia Coalition of Jokowi), also within political parties problems opposition. arise. The PPP (Partai Pembangunan Persatuan) demanded that a change in their This Amnesty International Netherlands clipping service is made for Amnesty members and others interested in the human rights developments in Indonesia – for information only – not to be quoted as Amnesty information. For more information or to be included in or deleted from the mailing list, write to [email protected]. For back issues view http://www.marthameijer.org/page36.php 2 Weekly Update Human Rights in Indonesia – 03-11-2014 “It would be much better for everyone to unite,” the president said at the State The existence of a “shadow House” has also been played down by Jimly Palace in Central Jakarta on Friday. “We need to maintain unity to set an example Asshiddiqie, a former chief justice of the Constitutional Court (MK). “There’s only for the people.” one [House leadership] that’s legitimate,” he said as quoted by Tempo.co, writing off the the minority’s protest as an angry reaction to being denied all leadership The Awesome Indonesia Coalition, or Koalisi Indonesia Hebat (KIH), which posts in the House. supports Joko, holds 44 percent of seats in the House. That minority held its own version of a plenary session on Friday to pick a speaker and four deputies in a Refly Harun, a state administrative law expert, also pointed out that the minority move it said was meant to reflect their lack of confidence in a House dominated “speaker” and deputies would never be recognized as legitimate. “Even if they by the Red-White Coalition, or KMP. were to be sworn in by the Supreme Court it would still be [ethically] wrong,” he told Tempo. The KIH’s bid to challenge the House’s speakership, led by Joko’s Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, or PDI-P, has been widely panned not only by the Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin from the KIH’s United opposition, but also by political observers and officials from several of the parties Development Party (PPP) said he felt assured the heated situation would “blow involved. over in two or three days’ time.” “I put my trust in our friends in the House” to get past the issue, he said. Analysts have labeled the minority’s effort to name shadow speakers futile, pointing out that the coalition’s failure to secure chairmanships of the 11 House Agus Hermanto, an officially-elected House deputy speaker, said he was commissions last Monday was its own fault, since the coalition’s members had convinced the president would only acknowledge Setya Novanto as House chosen to walk out of the vote. speaker. “There’s no basis for this shadow House leadership; no legal legitimacy,” he said. Fellow House deputy speaker Fadli Zon, said the minority’s move was not “The way I see it, both coalitions are being unprofessional,” Zainal Arifin Mochtar, only illegal, but unconstitutional, and accused the coalition of “clowning around.” an expert in state administrative law at Yogyakarta’s Gadjah Mada University, said. “Both are prioritizing positions, power and their own interests over those of “We don’t really care what they do. We are going to remain solid,” he said. “Their the people and the country.” Rather than appoint its own unsanctioned speakers, meeting today [Friday] was illegal. It never happened. They were just clowning Zainal added, the minority should have taken alternative measures to redress the around. They violated [the House’s code of ethics], and for that we will take them imbalance of power in the House, including pushing for a change to the House’s to the House Ethics Council.” protocols for choosing its leaders, or submitting amendments to the law on legislatures. This Amnesty International Netherlands clipping service is made for Amnesty members and others interested in the human rights developments in Indonesia – for information only – not to be quoted as Amnesty information.