---------------------------------------------------------- FREE for JOIN Indonesia Daily News Online via EMAIL: go to: http://www.indo-news.com/subscribe.html - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - Dengan mengClick banner sponsor anda menyumbang Rp. 1000,- untuk HomePage IndoNews. ---------------------------------------------------------- (Open letter from A.M.Hanafi, Exponent of the Generation 45, Ex-Minister, Ex-Ambassador of the Republic Indonesia, in exile in Paris) (1) Every conscious and intelligent man realizes the importance of religion, identity and nationality and will not discriminate against the color of someone's skin. On the 10th of December 1998, I am certain, every man will cry out in his heart full of emotion the above slogan: "Upright the banner of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights". The 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, celebrated in Paris, has marked again the importance the Organization of Human Rights as declared by the United nations. And not only because it was in Paris, France, that for the first time in 1798 the "Declaration de Droits de l'Homme" was proclaimed - as a continuation of the history of the Magna Carta of the English Revolution in 1275, but also because its 50th anniversary is under the auspices of world leaders: presiden Jacques Chirac, the General Secretary to the United Nations Kofi Annan, the High Commissioner of the U.N. for Human Rights Mrs. Mary Robinson and the General Director of the UNESCO Federico Mayor. The presence of these important people, as defenders of the Human Rights in the world, has automatically inflamed the many hearts around the world with hope, for those who have not yet had the opportunity to enter the garden of Human Rights, that once was their ambition too. Well, maybe 75% of the world population at this moment do not have the protection of a fair justice system as stated by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, declared on the 10th of December 1948, 50 years ago. The road of struggle for the mighty U.N. has been a long one, interspersed with difficulties and colored by sadness. (2) I would like to ask for your forgiveness, because while in my heart I participated in the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I do not have the right to discuss the difficulties and sadness that have accured in other countries as to its Human Rights situation. But, as an Indonesian, faithful to the nationality of the Republic of Indonesia, on the basis of a human and moral concern, and although in exile, I feel the responsibility to speak up, once again, about the many difficulties encountered by the organization of Human Rights in my country, Indonesia. I wll keep myself to the recent facts! (A) When general Suharto overtook power in 1965 by a coup d'etat and deposed president Sukarno, he became a killing butcher; in a period of merely three months (Oct.-Dec. 1965) he savagely killed one million (maybe more) people, according to the report of the Fact Finding Commission of Sukarno's Government. The late professor Betrand Russel said: "... the number of innocent people killed in Indonesia is superior to the number of victims killed during 5 years in the Vietnam War ...". In the wake of the 50th anniversay of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights it is important to these facts, because this massive killing, transgressing the principle of Human Rights, has to this day not been acted upon by the World Commission of Human Rights, whose responsibility is to defend these rights. On the other hand we understand the difficulty. After general Suharto succeeded his creeping coup d'etat, he appointed himself as dictator and put the Indonesian Army to his own service. Until May, 21, 1998, where he himself was deposed by the movement of the Indonesian youth and students. Suharto has been put aside from the presidency. But at the same time, he himself, personally, has designated his follower as Indonesian's president, B.J.Habibie, his faithful pupil. (B) At the same time of the demonstrations, led for several days by the Indonesian youth and students, and by their sheer force have succeeded in toppling the president-dictator Suharto, this last May 21th, a tragedy occured in which several demonstrators were shot at and killed by bullets and hundreds were injured. This incident, known as the Trisakti incident (as it occured in front of the Trisakti University building), has been blamed on Habibie's government by the hundred thousands demonstrators as well as the majority of the population. Habibie has been accused as Suharto's crony and held responsible for the shooting of the peaceful unarmed demonstrators by the country's military apparatus in full arms. (C) The third killing incident in Indonesia's capital, Jakarta (besides other 'iron-fisted' actions on the part of the government towards demonstrators elsewhere in the country), is the Semanggi incident. The underlying reason is that the population of Indonesia has had enough of the oppression of the dictatorial regime of Suharto, known for its KKN (Corruption, Collusion and Nepotism), continued by president B.J.Habibie. On November, 10-13, 1998, president Habibie called for a Special Meeting of the People Consultative Assembly (Indonesian's highest body). This People's Consultative Assembly is not a democratic elected body as it is known in the democratic countries of America and Europe. Of its 1000 members, 500 were appointed by president Suharto. This undemocratic heritage of Indonesian's highest body has been nurtured by its successor president Habibie. It was therefore logical that the Special Meeting of the People's Consultative Assembly (a dictatorial hammer) was oppossed and refused by the entire Indonesian population, except for a few elite members and close allies of the ex-president Suharto and his family. Gigantic demonstrations as never seen before in Jakarta followed. They were led by the youth and students and opposed by Habibie's government: the army and the police in full arms, as well as using paid plotters. The result of this confrontation is 17 young people/students died and 456 were badly injured. The people's anger flared up to its maximum in the entire country because of this brutal repression of Habibie's regime. Witnessing this tragic and shameful incident, 17 of Indonesian's national figures, known for their patriotism, have written out a 'Joint Statement', as an idea of a way-out for this heavy contradiction between the government and its own people. What was president Habibie's reaction? In order not to face its responsibilities as the head of state (a position which in fact is still questionable as to its legitimacy), he preferred to find a scape-goat. Instead of opening a dialogue with the Group of 17, he preferred to incarcerate its members, accusing them of conspiracy, an accusation which objectively cannot be proven and is unfounded. Habibie's reaction towards these 17 national figures is a far cry from what one expects from a head of state. It has made the already tense situation even more complex and difficult, especially because one of the people arrested is of French nationality (formerly Indonesian), Alexander Hanafi, who was visiting Indonesia at that time (Alexander Hanafi is also the son of the author of this open letter). (3) The above mentioned facts (ABC) are clearly problems that obstruct the good functioning of the Organization of Human Rights in Indonesia. All the Trias Politica intitutions and organizations in Indonesia have been paralyzed by general Suharto, after his coup d'etat in Oct. 1965. This three dimensional crisis in Indonesia has its repercussions in the other parts of the world. And it will alter the influx of capitals, important for Indonesian's economy. But those who suffer most are the Indonesian people. (4) As an exponent of the Generation 45, as one of the frontrunners of the Republic Indonesia, who has fought and participated in its creation, although in exile in Paris, for the sake of Human Rights and Democracy, I implore the honorable men present on the podium for the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to send a commission of attention from the United Nations Human Rights Organization to Indonesia, in order to help restore the Human Rights and democracy crisis there, so that this beautiful, lovable and culturally rich country will not degenerate into a civil war. We thank you for your sympathy and wise judgement. We thank you with all my due respects. A.M.HANAFI Exponent of the Generation 45, ex-minister, ex-ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia in Cuba, in exile in Paris. Address: "Djakarta-Bali" 9, rue Vauvilliers 75001 Paris Tel.: 014508 8311 or tel/fax: 014680 2871 To Your Honorables: Mr. Jacques Chirac, President of the Republic of France Mr. Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations Mrs. Mary Robinson, High Commissioner of the Human Rights of the United Nations Mr. Federico Mayor, President of UNESCO ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 21 Dec 1998 jam 05:31:37 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
