R

ecent dialogue between a number of prominent human rights campaigners and President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has given a glimmer of hope to efforts in resolving past atrocities amid waning public trust in the President’s commitment to uphold human rights.

In his meeting with renowned activists and lawyers such as Todung Mulya Lubir and Nursyahbani Katjasungkana on Thursday, the President sought input on his plan to design a road map to reform the judicial system.

The road map is expected to help the country find new ways to resolve past human rights abuses.

Thursday’s meeting was a rare occurrence at the State Palace, which had ignored invitations for meetings with families of human rights abuse victims, despite his past pledge to settle past rights abuse cases so that the country can look to the future and move on.

Last December, in an event held to commemorate international Human Rights Day, Jokowi reaffirmed his commitment through the promotion of reconciliation and find legal breakthroughs in resolving human rights abuses. A number of rights campaigners, along with local leaders and senior government officials were among his guests at that time, but the commemoration was more a ceremonial event without dialog.

Jokowi, a civilian president with no links to the old political establishment, is believed to be trying to consolidate his power, a move many say has forced him to put the human rights agenda on the back burner.

Many believe Jokowi’s recent decision to install Gen. (ret) Wiranto as Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister would only be an additional stumbling block for his human rights pledge.

Wiranto has been accused of being responsible for the Trisakti and Semanggi shootings, as well as the disappearance of pro-democracy activists between 1997 and 1998.

“The idea in which the President has invited us [on Thursday] to receive input in relation to the legal reform road map was interesting,” said Nursyahbani, the coordinator of International People’s Tribunal on the 1965 communist purge (IPT 1965).

“I told the President that if it is possible, we are ready to [take further part in the process] by outlining a draft to be presented in public forums,” she added, referring to the planned road map.

Nursyahbani even told Jokowi about her plan to bring the case to the UN Human Rights Council’s (UNHRC) upcoming Universal Periodic Review, which even as a non-binding review would put some pressure on the government to act, as pleas had fallen on deaf ears at home.

In the 2015-2019 medium-term development plan (RPJMN), Jokowi underlines the importance to form a ad-hoc commission under his direct jurisdiction to facilitate resolution of past abuse cases. The RPJMN also states that a mechanism to settle such cases needs nation-wide consensus from all stakeholders, if possible it is believed similar atrocities can be prevented from reoccurring in future.

Beside that Jokowi was concerned about specific past abuse cases, where he particularly mentioned the murder case of human right campaigner Munir, which remained unresolved until today. “Our homework in relation to past human rights violations, including the Munir case, still needs to be done,” Jokowi said.

Al Araf from rights group Imparsial, which was established by, among others, Munir, immediately told Jokowi that the key to solve Munir’s case was to reopen the case and establish a new investigation team, as well as to have the Attorney General file a case review.