Editorial: Parties Fail to Stand Up for Human Rights
With politicians currently crisscrossing the country on the campaign trail speaking to all-singing, all-dancing crowds of thousands, one subject is rarely touched upon, yet it is a subject that affects all of us. When it comes to human rights, our politicians, never normally short of a soundbite, have fallen strangely silent.
As a country, we have yet to address serious human rights abuses that stain our past. From the 1965-66 purge of suspected communists and the kidnapping and forced disappearances of student activists in Jakarta in 1998, to the murder of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib, the state stands accused of trampling on people's rights and doing nothing to disclose the truth.
The abuses continue to this day. It seems like everywhere we look we see state officials and the elites violating our rights almost on a daily basis. Farmers lose their land to companies who often operate hand-in-glove with the local and central governments. If people try and stand up for their rights, the state security apparatus — the police or even the military — are sent in to prove that might is the only right that counts.
It is almost as if the powerful see it as their right to deprive the rest of society of their rights. Unfortunately, we have yet to hear any commitment from the 12 political parties contesting the April 9 election to addressing these issues. In fact, some politicians have even said human rights do not concern the public in general.
Such a foolish statement can be made by any politician and we urge Indonesians to not only refrain from voting for them but also to condemn them. We owe that to those who have fallen in the struggle for democracy and to future generations
With politicians currently crisscrossing the country on the campaign trail speaking to all-singing, all-dancing crowds of thousands, one subject is rarely touched upon, yet it is a subject that affects all of us. When it comes to human rights, our politicians, never normally short of a soundbite, have fallen strangely silent.
As a country, we have yet to address serious human rights abuses that stain our past. From the 1965-66 purge of suspected communists and the kidnapping and forced disappearances of student activists in Jakarta in 1998, to the murder of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib, the state stands accused of trampling on people's rights and doing nothing to disclose the truth.
The abuses continue to this day. It seems like everywhere we look we see state officials and the elites violating our rights almost on a daily basis. Farmers lose their land to companies who often operate hand-in-glove with the local and central governments. If people try and stand up for their rights, the state security apparatus — the police or even the military — are sent in to prove that might is the only right that counts.
It is almost as if the powerful see it as their right to deprive the rest of society of their rights. Unfortunately, we have yet to hear any commitment from the 12 political parties contesting the April 9 election to addressing these issues. In fact, some politicians have even said human rights do not concern the public in general.
Such a foolish statement can be made by any politician and we urge Indonesians to not only refrain from voting for them but also to condemn them. We owe that to those who have fallen in the struggle for democracy and to future generations
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