INDONESIA
STATEMENT BY
H.E. MR YUSRIL IHZA MAHENDRA
MINISTER OF JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS OF THE REPUBLIC
OF INDONESIA
BEFORE THE WORLD CONFERENCE AGAINST RACISM, RACIAL DISCRIMINATION,
XENOPHOBIA AND RELATED INTOLERANCE
Durban. 2 September 2001
Madam President, Distinguished delegates, Ladies and gentlemen,
Allow me to begin, on behalf of the Government and the people of Indonesia,
by expressing our deep appreciation to the people and Government of South Africa
for the warm welcome and generous hospitality extended to us and for hosting
this important event. As we gather for this Conference, which surely deserves
to become a prominent feature in this century's human rights calendar, we wish
to congratulate you, Madam President, on your election, as well as the members
of the Bureau on their respective elections to assist you in discharging your
task. Let me assure you of my delegation's fullest confidence in your able stewardship
to lead this Conference to a fruitful outcome.
It is highly significant that this gathering should be held in a country which
symbolises the coming together of different races and cultures bent on overcoming
their past differences to build a nation free from the shackles of apartheid.
South Africa constitutes an important example and an inspiration for this Conference
through the heroic struggle of its people for equality and justice, and through
its contribution to the ongoing global efforts to combat racism, racial discrimination,
xenophobia and related intolerance. This World Conference embodies the hopes
of millions of people who aspire to see their situation acknowledged and, more
importantly, remedied.
Madam President,
History is replete with terrible wrongs inflicted through lack of respect for
the equality of human beings, manifested through colonialism, wars of conquest,
slavery, genocide, apartheid, ethnic cleansing and other atrocities. Despite
a victory over apartheid, there nevertheless remains a plethora of discriminatory
laws and practices which affect the lives of whole communities in many parts
of the world. In some regions, these practices have reached alarming proportions,
marked by endemic conflicts which threaten to spread beyond the borders of the
countries in question. These conflicts often sterri from the politicisation
of ethnic, racial and religious differences, orfrom discrimination resulting
from foreign interference, frequently resulting in the systematic violation
of basic human rights.
We share the view that slavery, slave trading, colonialism and apartheid are
major historical sources and manifestations of racism, racial discrimination
and related intolerance, with enduring consequences for the peoples of African
and Asian descent. The contemporary effects of these past practices and policies
manifest themselves in the foret of poverty, underdevelopment, marginalisation
and socio-economic exclusion which, despite the much-vaunted merits of globalisation,
have worsened in developing countries over the last few years. These effects
not only seriously threaten global security, they also deny a large fraction
of the world's population its human rights, dignity and fundamental freedoms,
In this regard, we join in the appeal to the international community to adopt
appropriate and remedial action, including reparation and compensatory measures,
in order to halt and reverse the consequences of these past policies and practices.
As far back as 1963, the international community set itself the task of eradicating
racial bias with the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Elimination of All
Forets of Racial Discrimination. This objective was reinforced in 1965 by a
further commitment through the adoption of the International Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. Despite the holding of two
further World Conferences on these same issues in 1978 and 1983 and the adoption
of numerous programmes of action, these ills unfortunately continue to beset
our modern world. More troubling still, new forets of racism and racial discrimination
are emerging which, in many cases, are not only tolerated but are occasionally
even off icially endorsed, In an unexpected development, widespread access to
the Internet coupled with tremendous technological advances in the field of
communications and the media have facilitated the worldwide dissemination of
xenophobia and ideas of racial superiority. In the face of these developments,
new tools are called for to tackle racism and there is a growing need for strong
and concerted action to combat problems of inequality on a global scale.
This Conference therefore provides a timely opportunity for the international
community to renew its commitment to the equalïty, dignity and rights of
all human beings. It also forces us to confront the past and to take action
to remedy those unresolved problems which continue to poison thé présent,
by laying stronger foundations now for thé shaping of a more just future,
based on thé full recognition that diversity is a fondamental value and
a precious asset for humanity.
Madam President,
As a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and multilingual society, Indonesia takes
pride in its mosaic of peoples, which has evolved from our country's long history
of tolerance and solidarity, born of a centuries-old cohabitation. However,
thé political transformation in today's nation-building process, combined
with thé economic crisis currently besetting Indonesia, have had a significant
impact on thé overall situation there. In this regard, thé May
1998 riots and thé récent communal conflicts in some parts of
thé country, many of which have ethnic and religious overtones, are an
unfortunate case in point and have frequently been associated with horrendous
human rights abuses. We have drawn thé lesson from these human tragédies
and, for thé saké of our national unity, have rediscovered thé
value of harmony and tolerance between thé différent ethnic and
religious groups making up our country.
The Government of Indonesia is determined to act on these lessons by addressing
thé root causes of domestic conflicts arising from racial, ethnic or
religious differences and thus hopefully prevent their recurrence. Under thé
leadership of President Megawati Soekarnoputri, thé new government continues
to take legislative, judicial, regulatory, administrative and other measures
to eliminate racism and related discrimination in thé country. In this
respect, thé Indonesian Government is concentrating on establishing and
maintaining a spirit of tolerance and mutual respect between thé country's
diverse communities through education programmes and reconciliatory dialogue.
Madam President,
My government attaches great importance to thé follow-up activities in
thé wake of thé Durban Conference. Let me also reaffirm my government's
readiness to join thé international community in its efforts to address
thé problems identified in this Conference, and to help all victims of
inequality whose plight requires international recognition and coopération.
In this regard, we believe that thé international community must ensure
thé greater effectiveness of thé activities and mechanisms of
thé United Nations and equip thé latter with thé necessary
financial resources for its actions to combat racism and other manifestations
of discrimination.
Madam President,
I should not like to conclude these remarks without briefly touching on the
sensitive issue of the plight of the Palestinians as well as other inhabitants
of the Arab occupied territories in this World Conference. We have before our
eyes a tragic example of the speed with which a situation can degenerate almost
to the point of full-blown conflict despite countless efforts at mediation and
peace talks, which not long ago seemed close to success. Therefore, in the face
of all these considerations as well as the hardships borne by the Palestinians
for decades as a result of the racist and the hegemonic practices of Israel,
the occupying power, it is morally imperative that the international community
take effective measures to protect people urider this kind of foreign occupation.
To sum up, Madam President, one should not belittle the important advances which
have undoubtedly been achieved in the fight against racism, racial discrimination,
xenophobia and related intolerance over the fifty years which have elapsed since
the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. However,
despite these very real efforts, racial hatred can take on many subtle and complex
forms, making it hard to eradicate. It is this major challenge which now faces
this World Conference and it behoves all of us here to take it on, so that we
can set the stage for a new and more tolerant millennium, characterised by respect
for diversity and greater understanding among men.
Thank you, Madam President.