Journal article
From Hope to Disillusion: the paradox of Komnas HAM, the Indonesian National Human Rights Commission
K SETIAWAN
Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences of Southeast Asia | Brill | Published : 2016
Open access
Abstract
In recent years, the Indonesian National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) has come under increasing scrutiny as a consequence of its internal problems as well as the persistent refusal of other state bodies to cooperate with the organization. The current situation is remarkable when considering the improvements made to the commission’s legal status and mandate. This article will identify internal and external factors that influence the organization’s functioning and pay particular attention to how politicization has adversely impacted on Komnas HAM. It will be argued that the politicization of the commission is a direct consequence of the changes made to the organization as part of human..
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Funding Acknowledgements
This article is based upon doctoral research conducted at the Van Vollenhoven Institute (VVI), Leiden University, the Netherlands, with funding from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). Most of the data used for this article were collected during several fieldwork periods in Indonesia, during which I was given generous access to the Indonesian Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM). I would like to thank past and present commissioners and staff members, as well as informants outside the commission, for their willingness to be interviewed. I am also grateful for the comments of two anonymous reviewers. Most of all, I benefited from constructive discussions with, and comments from, Jan Michiel Otto, Herlambang Wiratraman, and in particular Adriaan Bedner on earlier drafts. Any shortcomings that the reader may detect are my own.