Harmonization of National Law

In this phase, the government of Indonesia plans:

1. To organize a study and assessment on several laws and national regulations and or regional regulations which are relevant to international human rights. The activities cover the current laws and plans for new regulations.
2. To also revise the current laws and or draft new regulations in line with the international human rights.
3. To give directives to law enforcers concerned in upholding international human rights, for which assistance from the UN Headquarters is needed.

---

An Obligation to Report

The Government of Indonesia also has the obligation to report to the UN, and will organize:

1. The formation of a national agency charged with arranging reports from Indonesia to the UN.
2. The necessity of regular coordination and consultation between government and non-government agencies on the implementation of international human rights.
3. Training on the structure and dissemination of the reports to certain agencies of the UN.
4. Dissemination of guidelines of the UN human rights on the obligation of the reports to the government agencies concerned.

Indonesian Human Rights Actions

Indonesian Human Rights Actions

Indonesia aims to uphold human rights in line with the United Nations Declaration and Actions in Vienna in 1993. The UN Declaration has inspired the Indonesian government to organize the Second national workshop on human rights.

The national action on human rights in Indonesia formulated in a program which has been enacted for five years, as imbued in the policy of the Indonesian five-year development program on the State Guidelines of the Republic of Indonesia.

The human rights action is expected to strengthen respect for the rights of the Indonesian people for justice as enacted in the 1945 Constitution.

There are four main pillars of the Indonesian actions on human rights namely:

1. Preparation on international human rights.
2. Dissemination and education of the people on human rights.
3. Priority on the implementation of human rights.
4. The implementation of international rules on human rights as approved by Indonesia.

The activities cover approval, dissemination and education on human rights, priorities on the implementation of human rights.

---

Priority Covers

1. To implement human rights as ratified on the basis of recommendations of the related government and non-government institutions.
2. To further study priorities on international human rights. This is done by an inter-sector department working group.
3. To prepare draft a document of the ratification. This activity is done by a small inter-departmental team.
4. To understand international concepts on human rights.
5. To disseminate information on international concepts on human rights.

In the first year: the Indonesian Government will organize the structure of human rights in the field of economy, social affairs and culture as the convention is against all forms of assassination, and inhuman actions. while the international convention is against all forms of racial discrimination.

In the second year: convention on the prevention and punishment of genocide. and a convention on slavery.

In the third year: the government of Indonesia approves the international convention on the protection of the rights of all migrant workers and their families.

In the fourth year: Indonesia approves an end to human exploitation and prostitution.

The fifth year covers the international convention on civil and political rights.

Simplification Of Political Partuies

The Government Manifesto of November 3, 1945, opened the way to a rapid growth of political parties. Soon a multi-party system emerged with parties of different ideologies, ranging from nationalism to socialism, religion and even Marxism/Leninism. Hence, the political structure developed into a liberal democracy that was a complete departure from the type of democracy envisaged by Pancasila.

With sharply conflicting ideologies, political rivalry was the order of the day and a stable Government was out of the question. With a total of 24 political parties and their fractions, cabinets could only be formed on the basis of a shaky compromise between the strongest parties. In point of fact, coalition cabinets were formed and dissolved very often. The administration was a complete shambles and development was a far cry.

The first and only general election ever held during the rule of the Old Order took place in 1955. Even that election did not produce a strong cabinet with a solid back-up in Parliament. On the contrary, because political conditions continued to deteriorate, the President ordered the formation of a Constituent Assembly to draft a new constitution. However, as mentioned earlier, this only ended in a total deadlock which led the president to take all the power of the state into his own hands under the pretext of guided democracy.

Having learned from the experience of the unlimited multi-party system of the past, the New Order Government, which came into office in 1967, decided to simplify the political system along the following lines:

1. In order to minimize ideological conflicts between political organizations, all political organizations shall adopt Pancasila as their sole basis principle.
2. To simplify the political system, particularly for the purpose of choosing a political organization by the people in general elections, it was felt that the number of these organizations should be reduced.
3. In the past, villages were made the bases of political activities and maneuvers, most notably in the heyday of the Indonesian Communist Party. This adversely affected the social and economic life of the village populations. Hence, it would be desirable to free villages from the activities of political organizations.

Furthermore, the large number of organizations has been reduced by the fusion of parties and their affiliated organizations into two political parties - Partai Persatuan Pembangunan (The United Development Party or Partai Persatuan) and Partai Demokrasi Indonesia (the Indonesian Democracy Party or PDI), and one Functional Group or Golongan Karya (Golkar).

Partai Persatuan is a fusion of Nahdlatul Ulama (the Moslem Scholars Party), Parmusi (the Moslem Party), PSII (the Islamic Confederation) and PERTI (the Islamic Union).

PDI is a fusion of the former PNI (the Nationalist Party), the Catholic Party, the Christian (Protestant) Party, the Indonesian Independence Party, and Partai Murba (the People's Party).

Golkar accommodates the aspirations and political rights and duties of functional groups that are not affiliated with either party, namely civil servants, retired members of the Armed Forces, women's organizations, professional groups, farmers, student, etc.

By virtue of the 1983 Guidelines of the State Policy and on the basis of Act No. 3 of 1985, Pancasila has finally been adopted as the one and only ideological principle upon which all political organizations base their activities.

Pancasila Democracy

Pancasila Democracy is a system of life for the state and society on the basis of the people's sovereignty. It is inspired by the noble values of the Indonesian nation. Pancasila itself, which means the five principles, is the name given to the foundation of the Indonesian Republic. The five principles of Pancasila are : Belief in the One and Only God; A Just and civilized humanity; the Unity of Indonesia; Democracy guided by the inner wisdom of deliberations of representatives; and Social Justice for all the Indonesian people.

Thus Pancasila Democracy means democracy based on the people's sovereignty which is inspired by and integrated with the other principles of Pancasila. This means that the use of democratic rights should always be in line with responsibility towards God Almighty according to the respective faith; uphold human values in line with human dignity; guarantee and strengthen national unity; and be aimed at realizing social justice for the whole of the people of Indonesia.

In a democratic life based on Pancasila, the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), being the highest state institution, has a very important role to play. As an institution which fully exercises the sovereign rights of the Indonesian people MPR should always reflect the aspirations and the wishes of the people with all its decisions or decrees. And as the holder of the highest power in the state, the Assembly appoints the President and Vice-President and determines the Guidelines of State Policy for implementation by the President.

The House of Representatives (DPR), the members of which are from the people and are elected by the people, has the function of exercising control over the conduct of the administration by the President. The mechanism of this control by the House of Representatives constitutes a means to prevent constitutional deviation or deviations from the people's wish by the government.