House of Representatives Commission III on law and human rights unveiled 13 newly selected commissioners of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) on Monday.
Sandrayati Moniaga, an environmentalist and member of the board trustees of human rights watchdog Institute for Research and Advocacy (Elsam), secured 48 votes from 51 members of Commission III, the highest among all candidates. Maneger Nasution of the Indonesia Ulema Council (MUI) garnered 45 votes, while Papua-born activist Natalius Pigai gained 43.
Human rights activist Otto Nur Abdullah and former official at the Law and Human Rights Ministry Ansori Sinungan secured 42 votes each. Muhammad Imdadun Rahmat, the deputy secretary-general of the nation’s largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama, and Muhammad Nur Khoiron from Desantara Foundation both garnered 38 votes, while journalist Siane Indriani got 36 votes.
Member of the Center for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (Demos) Roichatul Aswidah and former law and human rights director general Hafid Abbas secured 35 votes each.
Lawyer Siti Noor Laila, Consortium for Agrarian Reform (KPA) member Dianto Bachriadi and incumbent Komnas HAM commissioner Nur Kholis garnered 33, 28 and 28 votes, respectively.
Mochamad Soedioto of the Indonesian Association of Visually Impaired People (Pertuni), gay rights activist Dede Oetomo, incumbent commissioner Yosep Adi Prasetyo, urban poverty activist Sandyawan Sumardi and other candidates all fell short of making the grade.
The written test for 30 candidates began on Oct. 11. Four days later, each candidate underwent a 30-minute interview with Commission III members. The new commissioners are expected to start work in early November.
Commission III initially intended to select only 10 new commissioners, saying that fewer people would suit Komnas HAM’s reduced budget of Rp 64.7 billion (US$6.7 million) for 2013.
The newly appointed commissioners, who will work from 2012 to 2017, are expected to follow up on Komnas HAM’s findings on the 1965 communist purge, the unsolved shootings between 1982 and 1985 and the Lapindo mudflow, which have all been categorized as human rights violations.
Komnas HAM chairman Ifdhal Kasim also said that the rights commission was investigating human rights violations perpetrated against the followers of the Shia community.