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Komnas HAM selection team wants more candidates from outside Java
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Protecting rights -- Members of the selection team for new commissioners of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), namely Siti Musdah Mulia (left), Makarim Wibisono (second left), Bambang Widodo Umar (second right) and Zoemrotin K. Susilo, report on progress of the selection process during a visit to The Jakarta Post on Thursday. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
T
he team in charge of selecting candidates for the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) wants to see more high-caliber applicants from outside Java to join the body on its mission to promote and protect human rights.
Citing his experience from the past few years, selection team member Makarim Wibisono said Jakarta and other areas of Java had always been dominant among the places of origin of applying candidates.
“We want to get competent candidates from outside Java, too, because when they all gather, it must be ensured that the strength of candidates who come from outside Java is equal to that of those from Jakarta and other areas on the island,” Makarim said on Thursday.
(Read also: Vacancies for Komnas HAM commissioner posts draw little interest)
Makarim, a former Indonesian ambassador who is also a prominent rights activist, added the selection team was worried that if the disparity between candidates from Java and outside Java continued, the next commission leadership, which would serve a mandate to promote human rights in the country, would not comprise people of high integrity.
The team expected Komnas HAM’s next commissioners to interact not only with Indonesian stakeholders, including law enforcers, but also with foreign human rights activists, so that the rights body could play a role at the global level.
“The ability to communicate fluently in English is also important, so that all commissioners can actively participate in decision-making processes, including in Geneva [Switzerland] and in Southeast Asia,” Makarim added. (ebf)
