Human rights defenders have slammed the presidential candidates for lacking to provide concrete policies to address Indonesia’s human rights problems, including the conflicts in Papua and the long-standing culture of police impunity in the country, during the first election debate earlier this week.

Tuesday’s debate marked the start of a series of five of presidential and vice presidential debates. Covering the topics of democracy, human rights and corruption eradication, all three presidential candidates – Anies Baswedan, Prabowo Subianto and Ganjar Pranowo – reaffirmed their commitment to upholding human rights. Observers, however, have deemed their statements to be little more than lip service.

“All three presidential candidates promised to uphold human rights, that’s good. But what are their concrete policies going forward?” Amnesty International Indonesia executive director Usman Hamid said in a statement on Wednesday.

Echoing Usman, rights group the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) said in a statement on Wednesday that none of the three candidates had managed to “fully explain their ideas, vision, mission and programs to resolve human rights problems, including in Papua”.

Under President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s administration, the country’s easternmost region has seen escalating tensions in recent months, sparked by the kidnapping of New Zealand pilot Philip Mehrtens by separatist groups in February.

Read also: Activists demand clear commitment to democracy, ethics in first presidential debate

The government has also been accused of sacrificing local communities' rights in favor of advancing development with its national strategic projects, such as the projects in Rempang in Riau Islands and Air Bangis in West Sumatra.

Popular

Women in philanthropy: Fifi Pangestu’s leadership and vision in Bakti Barito Foundation

Philippines to endure extreme heat until mid-May

Magnitude 6.5 earthquake strikes off Java island: authorities