Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – Indonesia's newly inaugurated Minister of Human Rights, Natalius Pigai, said there is no overlap of duties and authorities between his ministry and the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM). According to Pigai, the Ministry of Human Rights has different functions and roles than Komnas HAM.
Pigai conveyed that the Ministry of Human Rights is tasked with drafting and issuing human rights policies. "Because we aim to build a human rights-based Indonesia, human rights-based policies, and human rights-based developments, hence the creation of the Ministry of Human Rights," he said at the Ministry of Law and Human Rights office in Jakarta on Monday, October 21, 2024.
Meanwhile, Pigai said that the National Commission on Human Rights has a special task to supervise and evaluate the government in performing its duties. In addition, Pigai mentioned that Komnas HAM is also authorized to process specific human rights-related cases.
Komnas HAM, he said, was established under the principles of the United Nations, which calls for every country to form a National Commission on Human Rights to monitor, inspect, and evaluate the government's performance.
"So, there must be a distinction here; Komnas HAM oversees the human rights (condition), while our ministry will develop human rights," said Pigai.
Pigai stated that the Ministry of Human Rights is an institution that will carry out human rights development. Meanwhile, Komnas HAM will be tasked with overseeing the development.
Pigai mentioned that the Ministry of Human Rights will not only formulate and oversee policies but also develop human rights.
Pigai is the first Minister of Human Rights in Indonesia. The Ministry of Human Rights is part of the new ministerial nomenclature established by President Prabowo Subianto in the Red and White Cabinet. Previously, human rights affairs were under the responsibility of the Directorate General of Human Rights under the Ministry of Law and Human Rights.
Prabowo inaugurated Natalius Pigai as the Minister of Human Rights at the State Palace in Jakarta on Monday, October 21, 2024, a day after the president's inauguration. Pigai previously served as a Commissioner of the National Commission on Human Rights from 2012 to 2017.