The reputation of Indonesia’s National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has been called into question lately, with rights groups calling for reform within the state-sponsored human rights body after it was deemed to have shown little progress in investigating human rights abuses in Indonesia.
Komnas HAM’s integrity also came under public scrutiny after one of its commissioners, Natalius Pigai, said that they would investigate allegations of “criminalization against ulemas” in relation to the criminal cases hardline group Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) leader Rizieq Shihab is facing.
While the committee as a whole eventually said that Pigai’s claim was not the official position of Komnas HAM (and that Pigai will soon face an ethics hearing for making the claim), it appears that there could be FPI influence in the human rights body soon after all.
CNN Indonesia reported that Komnas HAM is now reviewing applications for commissioner for the 2017-2022 period. Among the applicants is a man named Zainal Abidin, who is the current Legal Advocacy Coordinator for the Central Java chapter of FPI.
“Praise Allah, I have passed the administrative and written selection process. What comes next is the public dialog selection process,” Zainal told CNN Indonesia yesterday.
Zainal then sought to distance his candidacy from any potential controversies that could arise from him being a high-ranking FPI member.
“People can link my application to all the cases the FPI are facing if they’d like. But I, as a citizen of this country, have the right to be a public official,” he said.
That is, of course, not the logic the FPI used when they rejected former Jakarta governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama based on his religion and ethnicity.
Aside from his position in FPI, Zainal is also a member of the legal commission in the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) Central Java chapter.
The next part of the selection process is due to take place in Jakarta from May 17-18, where the remaining 60 candidates will engage in dialogue with the public at the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights.
