RI contribution needed in global peace, human rights

Amid never-ending accusations from international groups over human rights violations at home, the government has said that Islamic countries have recognized Indonesia’s achievements in upholding human rights and promoting peace.

Leaders of the countries involved in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have expressed confidence that Indonesiaâ??s contribution could help in promoting human rights and ending conflicts in many parts of the world, Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said on Monday.

The latest form of such recognition was Indonesia’s appointment to hold the first meeting of the OICâ??s Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) at a hotel in Jakarta from Monday to Friday.

“Indonesia, as the world’s largest democratic Islamic country, has the mandate to host the first IPHRC meeting. We have to utilize this forum to enhance the roles of Islamic countries in promoting peace, such as proposing solutions to ending the crisis in Syria,”Marty said.

Marty recalled his decision to send a letter to the foreign minister of Kazakhstan, which chairs the OIC, proposing the establishment of a special conference on Syria. Earlier on Monday, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono met with secretary general Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu and 18 IPHRC commissioners.

Indonesian Siti Ruhaini Dzuhayatin, one of the 18 commissioners, said the OIC-IPHRC was still working on its internal matters.

“This commission is still new. We have just finished working on its organizational structure and have been discussing its rules of procedure,” she said, adding that the Jakarta meeting would focus on establishing strong organizational instruments.

Siti acknowledged that recent religious conflicts and intolerance in Indonesia would be a part of the IPHRC’s strategic issues. â??Such problems are common in other Islamic countries. We believe that all IPHRC commissioners, who are independent, will address this issue properly. You also need to understand what the government is facing here. For example, a government of a democratic country cannot easily disband an organization,” she said.

The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) appreciated the establishment of the IPHRC, saying it showed that Islamic countries around the world have opened the door for the values and principles of human rights.

“This is a new chapter for the world Islamic community to talk specifically about values that are within the frame of human rights,”Kontras coordinator Haris Azhar said in a statement.

â??”However, there are issues when it comes to implementation. We perceive that the IPHRC, as a human rights commission, should have the power to minimize violence taking place in Islamic countries, much of which are [perpetrated by] members of the OIC itself,” he said.