Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights accused the government Monday of failing to protect the rights of citizens choosing not to vote in the upcoming elections after political groups backed an Islamic edict condemning the act.
The commission said educating the public about the rights and responsibilities citizens have for democracy and the nation would be far more effective in boosting voting numbers than supporting edicts (fatwa) that ban vote abstaining.
The number of voters taking part in elections has been steadily declining over the past decade.
"The right to vote is a basic right of the individual and the state must protect that right and respect it. This is the government's obligation," commission chairman Ifdal Kasim told a press conference in Jakarta.
The commission called the conference to respond to an edict issued by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) which claimed abstaining from voting went against good religious practice.
"Neither the society or state have the right to hinder people's choices through moral sanctions or discrimination," the vice chairman of the commission Ridha Saleh said.
The government and political parties hailed the MUI edict, saying it would boost voter turnout in the upcoming legislative elections in April and presidential elections in July.
Ifdal said people should exercise their right to vote without fearing intervention or intimidation from the state or public.
"We urge the government to inform and educate people about their rights when it comes to voting, so people will not be misled," he said.
Ifdal said the government supporting the fatwa would lead some voters to believe it was an official state policy.
"If the MUI want to issue an edict that is fine, but we suggest the government refrain from adopting the edict as national policy," said commission member Yoseph Adi Prasetyo.
Yoseph said Indonesia had adopted the United Nation's human rights convention and thus had to obey the rules of that convention, which cover civil and political rights.
"In the United States, at least 45 percent of citizens who abstain from voting do so based on the political agenda of the presidential candidate," Yoseph said.
He said he challenged any argument that abstaining from voting threatened democracy in Indonesia.
The commission also reported Monday that it received several complaints of intimidation during the last elections throughout Indonesia. "We urge the government to protect its people so that rights abuses do not occur again," he said.
The commission plans to meet with the General Elections Commission to discuss the issue further. (naf)