T

he public is waiting for newly appointed Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto to walk his talk and complete the ongoing settlement of past rights abuses, as he pledged to do after his inauguration on Thursday.

He made such a promise despite concerns over his independence on account of his links to at least two of six rights cases investigated by the coordinating minister’s office while under predecessor Luhut Pandjaitan’s leadership.

Luhut had made progress by inviting rights activists, the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), the police and the attorney general to discuss solutions, whether through judicial or non-judicial means, to solve the six cases, namely those on the 1965 communist purge, the 1989 Talangsari, Lampung, massacre, the Trisakti, Semanggi I and II shootings and the 1998 disappearance of pro-democracy activists.

Wiranto, in his capacity as commander of the Indonesian Military (TNI), then ABRI, during the country’s transition period from the New Order Era to the reform era between 1998 and 1999, has been accused of being responsible for the Trisakti and Semanggi shootings, as well as the disappearance of pro-democracy activists.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s decision to appoint Wiranto, chairman of the pro-government Hanura Party, has been strongly rejected by rights campaigners on fears that the President’s close aide might put the cases in limbo to defend himself.

“Pak Luhut has set a precedence and I will continue his legacy fairly transparently, but the solutions must not damage national interests. National interests are always number one,” said Wiranto.

He further said that he would openly welcome discussion on accusations against him in rights abuse cases, as long as the public approached him with evidence.

“I expect [the cases against me] to be explained clearly, when and where they happened and what role I had in them. I will surely give clarification on each of the cases,” Wiranto said.

Komnas HAM commissioner Roichatul Aswidah said his agency would meet with Wiranto soon to continue discussions on the six cases and Komnas HAM would ensure the ministry acted independently in the future.

Under Luhut’s leadership, the coordinating minister’s office expressed its intention to solve the communist purge case through non-judicial means, while the government has yet to decide whether it will take the remaining five cases to court.

Wiranto also allegedly played a key role in facilitating severe human rights abuses by the military during Indonesia’s violent withdrawal from East Timor (now Timor Leste) during which more than 2,000 Timorese died. The world took the Timor Leste case seriously, with the US in 2004 reportedly putting Wiranto and five others on a visa watchlist that could bar them from entering the country.

In the same year, a special court in Timor Leste also issued a warrant for the arrest of the retired general for crimes against humanity in 1999.

US Department of State East Asian and Pacific Affairs Bureau spokesperson Anna Richey-Allen said the US had seen the announcement of Indonesia’s new ministers, including Wiranto, and look forward to continuing collaboration with Indonesia.

“We are aware of allegations of human rights violations committed by the Indonesian Military while Wiranto served as commander of the armed forces. The promotion and protection of human rights represent a major cornerstone of US foreign policy. We continue to discuss the importance of accountability for past abuses and addressing impunity within the security forces,” Anna said.