T

he central government will urge regional administrations to improve their human rights records by enforcing a requirement to increase access to health care and education, especially for minority groups.

The director general of human rights at the Justice and Human Rights Ministry, Harkristuti Harkrisnowo, said Tuesday she planned to drive regional administrations to submit their human rights records directly to the ministry.

Harkristuti said regional administrations were currently required to submit reports on their performance to the Home Ministry.

The report, she said, might not necessarily include the regions' human rights conditions.

"Therefore, regional administrations will be required to submit human rights reports, which contain their performance in increasing access to health care and education for local people, especially minority groups," she told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday on the sidelines of a national seminar on human rights.

"We will rewards those regions with good records in providing these facilities," she added.

She said the proposal would be sent to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in January.

"I will implement this regionally after the issuance of a presidential regulation," she said, adding that the implementation was likely to start as early as March.

She added that there would also be sanctions against regions with declining human rights conditions, which she would discuss with the President.

"My ministry will reward regional administrations with good performance in the provision of health care and education for local people," she said.

Former attorney general Marzuki Darusman told the seminar political bargaining at executive and legislative levels led to high-ranking government officials ignoring human rights issues in decision-making processes.

The head of the education and research subcommission at the National Commission on Violence Against Women, Deng Dara Afifah, said the new policy could be a breakthrough in improving human rights conditions in the country.

"The new policy will be a way to fulfill citizens' basic rights," she told the Post via telephone.

"This will motivate regional administrations to improve education facilities and reduce poverty rates," she added.

Data from the State Women's Empowerment Ministry showed there were between 600,000 and 700,000 elementary school students dropping out every year.

It also showed that there were between 150,000 and 200,000 junior high school students dropping out.

This phenomenon is blamed on poverty in most cities, and difficult access to schools due to extremely poor infrastructure in areas in eastern Indonesia, such as Papua and Maluku.