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| Presiden RI SBY |
The House of Representatives lambasted the government for padding up
its human rights records only to improve the country’s standing in the
international community while actually doing little to protect the
rights of minority groups domestically.
Several lawmakers accused
the government for being hypocrites for actively promoting interfaith
harmony at the global level by campaigning on an international protocol
banning blasphemy, but failed to equally protect the rights of religious
minority groups in the country.
“I appreciate the government’s
efforts in proposing such an initiative to the international community.
That sounds good. But, how will the government deal with the ongoing
religious intolerance at home, because, for example, it hasn’t resolved
discrimination against the Shia community in Sampang [East Java],”
Tjahjo Kumolo of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P)
faction said during a hearing with Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa on
Wednesday.
Later in the session, lawmaker Helmi Fauzy also
questioned the government’s refusal to accept a recommendation from the
United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to amend the 1965 law on
blasphemy, which has been long used to justify attacks against minority
groups.
“We are selling our democracy to the international
community, but we forget that democracy requires the protection of
minority groups,” Helmi said.
He then urged the government to
submit to the UNHRC’s recommendation and amend the outdated blasphemy
law, which he deemed as being responsible for the outbreak of religious
conflict in the country.
Responding to the criticism, Marty said
that the government would synchronize the ministry’s diplomatic efforts
with the promotion of religious freedom at the domestic level.
Later
on the sidelines of the meeting, Marty told reporters that universal
values of human rights should not contradict local values adopted by
local communities in the country.
“Our international commitment to
protect and uphold human rights must meet the demands of local rules
and values. Other countries have done the same,” Marty said.
When
asked about the government’s attempt to draw up a regulation that would
interpret universal human rights values in accordance with local
conditions, Marty said that although Indonesia is a member of the UN, it
must defend local values against the values promoted by the UN.
Earlier,
Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi has said that the government is drawing up a
regulation that would make it possible for local governments to
interpret the universal values of human rights in accordance to local
conditions.
The ministry was working with the Law and Human Rights
Ministry to draft a joint ministerial decree that would set the
standards on how to define human rights, according to local customs,
which would be used as the benchmark in drafting bylaws nationwide.
Separately,
National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) chairman Ifdhal Kasim
said Indonesia was obliged to submit to the UN’s human rights values as
one of its members.
“That’s the whole point of agreeing to ratify
all international protocols, meaning that we have to adapt our laws to
international values.
The government must remember that there are
inalienable rights that our government must fulfill despite local
values,” Ifdhal told The Jakarta Post.
