A plenary meeting of the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) has elected human rights activist Otto Nur Abdullah to serve as the body’s chair for the 2012-2014 term. Sandrayati Moniaga and Muhammad Nur Khoiron will serve as his deputies.
A sociologist by training who once taught at Syiah Kuala University in
Banda Aceh, Otto, who is also known as Otto Syamsuddin Ishak, has been
an active campaigner for human rights during stints at several human
rights watchdogs including the Aceh-based Cordova, where he was a
director for 10 years, and watchdog Imparsial.
Otto is well known for his activism in Papua.
Otto
spoke to The Jakarta Post on Sunday about his plan to reopen a number
of Komnas HAM’s branch offices, particularly in conflict-prone areas
such as Papua and Singkawang in West Kalimantan.
Otto expects to
hand over the leadership of the commission in mid-2014 following an
agreement within the commission that a commissioner would only serve for
two and a half years.
“There are parts of this country that are
really prone to conflicts, Papua for example. We don’t know what might
happen in Papua approaching December, and for this we have to be ready,”
Otto said, referring to West Papua Independence Day on Dec. 1.
Otto said that the reopening of the Papua office would be a priority to redouble efforts in the conflict-prone region.
Otto and 12 Komnas HAM commissioners officially began their terms last week.
Under
Otto’s leadership, Komnas HAM will conduct follow-up investigations on a
number of past human rights abuses including the 1965 “anti-communist”
purge.
The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has rejected the
Komnas HAM findings and declined to categorize the purge as a gross
violation of human rights.
Otto also said that Komnas HAM would
likely start a new investigation on the Lapindo mudflow, already
declared a human rights violation by the commission.
“The outcome
of the last investigation is still being debated because some claim it
was not done properly. We will review the request for a new
investigation. We will perhaps do it if it’s urgent enough,” he said.
Rights activists said that they had high hopes for Komnas HAM under Otto’s leadership.
“He
[Otto] has all the potential to serve as chairman of Komnas HAM. He is a
committed human rights activist with great courage to speak for
marginalized groups,” said Otto’s predecessor Ifdhal Kasim.
Ifdhal said that the biggest obstacle for Otto would be the weak enforcement of the country’s laws.
“I
suggest the new leadership communicate more effectively and efficiently
with government officials so they will endorse efforts to promote and
protect human rights in Indonesia,” he added.
Haris Azhar of the
Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) said
that under Otto’s leadership, Komnas HAM would have a good rapport with
the public.
“I think that Komnas HAM ought to have a closer
relationship with the public, because it deals directly with victims of
rights abuse,” Haris said.