Jokowi Wants Indonesia to Resolve its' Human Rights Past Records  

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has asked Attorney General M. Prasetyo to resolve Indonesia's past human rights abuses cases during a meeting on the issue of law and human rights. "I want our Attorney General to put an end to our legacy of human rights issues that is still left unresolved, so that it won't come back to bite us later on," said President Jokowi at the President's Office on Tuesday, January 5, 2016.

According to Jokowi, there are plenty of things that need to be decided in order to expedite the process of resolving Indonesia's human rights issues - as such, he has asked the Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law and Security Affairs, Luhut Binsar Panjaitan to lead the efforts to resolve the issues.

To date, the Indonesian government has been criticised for its' reluctance to touch on Indonesia's shady human rights history - even though the National Commission on Human Rights have recommended the government to act quickly to resolve the issues. To date, the government has leaned towards a reconciliatory approach in dealing with its' human rights record.

During the occasion, President Jokowi also expressed his gratitude to the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) and the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) for successfully dealing with Din Minimi - whom Jokowi ensured will receive an amnesty for his cooperation. "We hope similar successes would take place in Papua and Poso," Jokowi said.

Furthemore, President Jokowi said that the government will continue to use a combination of a soft power and hard power approach in dealing with issues of radicalization, terrorism, and that the government will extend this approach to deal with human rights issues. "In addition to the application of the security and law enforcement paradigm, we will also be using a discursive approach," Jokowi said.

Previously on Monday, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung said that President Jokowi will make the resolution of Indonesia's human rights past a priority - preferably using the approach used in dealing with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), which was resolved under Presidential Decree No. 22/2005.

The Decree - which contains clauses of general amnesty and the abolition of penalties, which is extended to all GAM members - is chosen as a model for its' delicate use of a soft-power approach, said Pramono, before adding that a soft approach can only go so far and that the government will not hesitate to use force should all else fails.

TIKA PRIMANDARI