Indonesian Middle Way

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo's administration has been trying to pay off what is supposed to be the nation’s historical debts to resolve cases of past human rights violations through non-judicial means.

KOMPAS/HENDRA A SETYAWAN

A man crosses in front of a mural of fighters and human rights activists (HAM) in the Bojongsari area, Depok, West Java, Tuesday (23/8/2022). President Joko Widodo at the MPR Annual Session, 16 August 2022 said that he had signed a Presidential Decree on the Formation of a Team for the Non-judicial Resolution of Past Gross Human Rights Violations.

A non-judicial settlement team for cases of past human rights violations has been formed. In addition to being part of the fulfillment of the nine key programs Jokowi promised during his presidential campaign, the settlement of human right violations is a duty and obligation of leaders as mandated by the Constitution. The human rights violations settlement team, led by Makarim Wibisono with Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD as chair of the steering committee, will end its working term on 31 Dec. 2022. As reported, the model for resolving cases of past human rights violations was presented to the Nahdlatul Ulama Executive Board (PBNU). NU accepted the non-judicial settlement model as long as it would not open up “old wounds”.

Unresolved human rights violations will continue to be historical burdens for the state. They will haunt the nation into the future and potentially become political issues. The state once formed a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (KKR) in 2004, but the KKR Law was annulled by the Constitutional Court (MK) and the move to bring past human rights offenders to justice through ad hoc courts came up short. The Tanjung Priok case was among the pitfalls. At the Paniai ad hoc human rights court, the panel of judges finally acquitted the accused.