Indonesian Lobbyist Forum: 04/10

4/05/2010

JURIST - Forum: Sovereignty, Atrocities and Accountability

Remarkably, the United States Supreme Court and the International Court of Justice are addressing nearly identical issues at the same time: the application of sovereign immunity in suits for war crimes and other atrocities. Although the two courts may be unlikely to look to each other for guidance, the very existence of parallel cases about still unresolved issues speaks volumes.

It tells us that the notion of jurisdictional immunity for states is no longer automatic. It drives us to think about the role of sovereign immunity as a bar to jurisdiction and, more importantly, about the limited recourse victims of atrocities have to find justice through retribution and restitution. Finally, it spurs us to think about the policy considerations that rarely come to light amid technical discussions of statutory interpretation.

Hak Nyatakan Pendapat Bukan untuk Jatuhkan SBY - news.okezone.com

JAKARTA - Meski kian gencar menggalang dukungan untuk menggulirkan usulan hak menyatakan pendapat, inisiator hak angket Century / Tim 9 membantah rencana itu dimaksudkan untuk menjatuhkan pemerintahan Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

"Jangan ada lagi yang mengatakan hak menyatakan pendapat itu untuk menjatuhkan pemerintah, hak itu hanya menguatkan peran DPR," ujar anggota Tim 9, Akbar Faizal dalam jumpa pers di kediaman Jusuf Kalla, Jakarta, Minggu (4/4/2010).

4/04/2010

Statue fight in Indonesia only partly about Obama

JAKARTA, Indonesia - For Rosono Rachmat, every memento marking a personal tie to Barack Obama is a precious thing indeed.

Rachmat, who goes by the nickname Nono, cherishes, for example, an elementary school class picture of himself standing with the wide-eyed boy who grew up to become the president of the United States. He wouldn't part with that photo for any amount of money, he says.

So Rachmat is baffled by an ongoing controversy over a statue erected in a public park to commemorate the four years Obama spent here in Indonesia's capital, where he lived until age 10 and was referred to as Barry.

The 43-inch bronze statue, financed by several of the president's Indonesian supporters, shows a boy dressed in shorts, T-shirt and sneakers, holding a butterfly in his outstretched hand with the words: "The future belongs to those who believe in the power of their dreams."

JURIST - Paper Chase: Pakistan lawmakers weigh bill to curb presidential powers

[JURIST] Pakistani lawmakers were weighing a constitutional bill Friday that would greatly limit the powers of President Asif Ali Zardari [official website], reversing the expansion of presidential powers under former military leader Pervez Musharraf [BBC profile, JURISTnews archive]. If passed by both houses of parliament, the 18th Amendment Bill would transfer presidential powers to the office of the prime minister [official website], effectively reserving the presidency as a figurehead. Among other changes, the president will no longer have the power [ANI Report] to dissolve parliament, dismiss the prime minister, or appoint the chief of the armed forces. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani [BBC profile], who would be eligible for a third term under the legislation, stressed that the bill would strengthen Pakistani institutions [Pak Tribune report]. Zardari expressed hope that the bill would be passed as soon as possible[press release].