Choirul Anam, Commissioner of the National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas HAM), has requested President Joko Widodo find a new candidate for Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs (Menkopolhukam) to replace Wiranto.
Anam stated that Wiranto is still known as a former army officer with previous records of human rights abuses. He says that it would be beneficial for the president to choose a civilian for the position.
“If Jokowi wants to express his commitment towards democracy, then the Menkopolhukam should be from the civilian field,” Anam asserted. According to him, the Menkopolhukam must be free of any track record regarding human rights violations.
Only under these circumstances would the minister pay more attention to the public and promote justice. In addition, the candidate for Menkopolhukam must also understand politics, human rights, and legal issues so they would be able to offer a wide perspective to the president and other ministers.
As President Jokowi’s first term comes to an end, Anam maintains that his commitment to resolve human rights issues still remains unclear. He also added that there have been no reports on the resolution of severe human rights violations and conflicts. One of the reasons is simply because the Menkopolhukam has an unclean track record.
Source: Kompas
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