|
Statement by
New York, 7 November 2002 Mr. Chairman, For the past several years Indonesian society has been undergoing a fundamental transformation into a democratic society, while also suffering through a severe economic crisis, but despite the trying circumstances Indonesia is gradually establishing the institutions necessary to promote and protect human rights. Human rights is a high priority area for the Government of Indonesia, and is one of the six main working programs of the Gotong Royong Cabinet of President Megawati Soekarnoputri. Therefore the Government of Indonesia seeks to cooperate with the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights, and with the new nation of East Timor, concerning human rights issues in and around the time of the popular consultation in East Timor. Although in paras 4 to 5 of the interim report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation of human rights in Timor-Leste (A/57/446) stated that OHCHR has been unable to provide technical cooperation to support the Government of Indonesia, however the Government has never been discouraged to fulfill its commitments. My delegates note with great regret, hoever, the insistence of the High Commissioner that the cooperation will be implemented only after Indonesia has inicated its intention that the jurisdiction of the ad hoc court Mr. Chairman, The Government of Indonesia feels that any discussion of the state of human rights in the world today, must take into consideration the plight of the Palestinian People. Israel has accelerated its medieval and barbaric practice of destroying the homes of family members of those alleged to have committed crimes against Israel. In effect innocent people are punished for a family relationship with someone who may have committed a crime. This form of group punishment is clearly contrary to international law, as is the practice of deporting family members for alleged complicity in alleged crimes. It is clear that the intent of these barbaric and illegal practices is to undermine the social and economic fabric of Palestinian Society, and it is clear that the result is to perpetuate a cycle of violence, which is detrimental to the peace and security of Israel, the Palestinians, and ultimately the world. Mr. Chairman, Human rights, whether in Indonesia, East Timor, Palestine or elsewhere, does not exist in a vacuum, but in a global context. Globalisation has long been recognised as a powerful force in the world economy, but now it touches virtually all spheres of human activity. The challenge for the international community, as stressed in the Millennium Declaration, is to ensure that globalization becomes a positive force for all. However, all too often the benefits of globalisation mainly accrue to a few wealthy countries, while the negative effects are concentrated in the poorest countries, which contain the vast majority of the world’s people. Extreme poverty is the worst human rights abuse faced by mankind, as those who live in extreme poverty, while guilty of no crime, do not have their fundamental needs as human beings met on a daily basis, and are frequently denied the most basic right, which is the right to life. The international community must do something to address this imbalance between rich and poor countries, and it is natural to look to the UN to assume the leadership role in this endeavour. As it stands, a small minority of the world’s population now determines the rules of global governance. Indonesia believes that the best method of rectifying this situation is to strengthen the UN, especially the General Assembly, which is the most universal and representative of the bodies within the UN System. The objective of reformed global governance would be to focus the power of globalisation on enabling sustained development worldwide, and eradicating poverty. Today the world faces the spectre of a growing terrorist threat. Indonesia is itself a victim of these terrorists as witnessed by the horrific attack against innocent civilians in Bali on October 12th. Indonesia condemns senseless acts of violence directed at innocent civilians, which accomplish nothing but increasing human misery. Indonesia has every intention of fully cooperating with its global partners to defeat the terrorist, but yet the Government of Indonesia knows that the war against terrorism will never be completely won, unless something is done to redress the fundamental imbalance between rich and poor, between powerful and powerless, for this imbalance is the spawning ground of terrorism. Thank you Mr. Chairman.
|
