Govt cannot silence human rights

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Fri, 04/28/2006 10:58 AM  |  Opinion

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's recent call for the Australian government to clamp down on organizations and individuals who support human rights in West Papua is baffling.

Western governments cannot silence human rights groups, as Yudhoyono well knows. I assume the remarks were made to appease Indonesian voters. The difficulty the Indonesian government faces is that the human rights movement transcends state borders. Banning journalists from West Papua merely focuses global attention on the human rights situation there.

We are raised to admire people like Mahatma Gandhi, Aung San Suu Kyi and Munir Said Thalibid. When Yudhoyono tells us to forget West Papua he must remember that sovereignty rests in the people. The people of West Papua deserve a free and fair electoral process to determine their future. Munir Said Thalibid would ask for nothing less.

BEN CLARK
Fremantle
Western Australia

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