Advocates unite to fight corruption

Advocates unite to fight corruption

JAKARTA: Indonesian lawyers have moved to unite seven bar
associations to improve professionalism among lawyers so as to
help restore a sense of respect in the country's judiciary.

Senior lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution said on Monday that
consolidation among the bar associations would contribute to
efforts to reduce corruption and collusion between lawyers and
judges.

He added that the associations would outline a shared code of
ethics, to be referred to by all advocates.

The seven bar associations are the Indonesian Advocates Union
(Ikadin), the Indonesian Advocates Association (AAI), the Union
of Indonesian Lawyers (IPHI), the Union of Indonesian Advocates
and Lawyers (HAPI), the Indonesian Lawyers Union (SPI), the
Association of Indonesian Legal Consultants (AKHI) and the Union
of Stock Exchange Law Consultants (HKHPM).

Indonesianist Daniel S. Lev, who also spoke at the discussion,
said Indonesian lawyers needed a strong organization rather than
laws to promote their profession.

A good law could not work without a strong advocate
organization, he added. - JP

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PKB politicians establish law firm
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PKB politicians establish law firm

JAKARTA: A law firm founded by several politicians from the
Nation Awakening Party (PKB) was inaugurated on Monday.

PKB chairman Alwi Shihab, leaders Moh. Mahfud MD, A.S. Hikam,
H.Z. Arifin Junaidi, Khofifah Indar Parawansa, Saleh Abdul Malik
and Ahmad Anas Yahya are the partners of the firm. Former
president Abdurrahman Wahid is the adviser to the firm.

The law firm is named Mahfud MD and Associates.

Alwi, a former foreign affairs minister, said, after its
inauguration, that Mahfud was in charge of handling legal affairs
at the firm. Mahfud is the only law school graduate of the
partners.

Mahfud, a former defense minister and justice minister, said
that the other partners would deal with other nonlegal cases as
the law firm would also offer advice on trading, business
management, information management, financial management, capital
market and security, as well as public policy.

He denied that the law firm would be used as a vehicle for PKB
in its campaign for the 2004 election. -- JP

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Migrant workers sue President
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Migrant workers sue President

JAKARTA: A group of migrant workers filed a lawsuit against
President Megawati Soekarnoputri and her administration on Monday
for their failure to provide assistance to hundreds of thousands
of undocumented migrants expelled from Malaysia last year.

Instead of demanding compensation, the plaintiffs are asking
the court to order the government to enact a law on migrant
worker protection and to ratify United Nations conventions on
migrant workers.

They are also demanding the court order the government to
cooperate with the Malaysian government in order to prevent
forced repatriation from reoccurring.

"What we want is an improvement in government policies
regarding the protection of and the procedures to send migrant
workers abroad," said the lawyer representing the plaintiffs,
Rita Olivia of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute.

A total of 53 migrant workers signed the lawsuit on behalf of
those expelled from Malaysia after that country imposed a new
immigration act. The expelled workers had to travel to the East
Kalimantan town of Nunukan, which borders Malaysia, to apply for
work documents.

Presiding judge Andi Samsan Nganro adjourned the hearing of
the lawsuit until next week. -- JP

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Paramilitary dissolution urged
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Govt urges paramilitary dissolution

JAKARTA: The government has asked political parties and
organizations to dissolve their paramilitary units ahead of the
2004 general election, saying these groups violated the
principles of democracy.

Speaking on Monday, Minister of Defense Matori Abdul Djalil
said he would propose a regulation banning paramilitary groups
affiliated with political parties and organizations.

Matori is a member of the country's largest Muslim
organization, Nahdlatul Ulama, which has a paramilitary unit
called Banser.

"These paramilitary units have to be dissolved because they
tend to operate as a show of force rather than maintaining public
security," Matori said.

He expressed concern that violence could occur during
campaigning ahead of next year's elections if political parties
deploy their paramilitary groups.

Indonesian Military chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto earlier
urged the banning of paramilitary groups. -- JP

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Ministry launches essential drug list
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Ministry launches essential drug list

JAKARTA: The Ministry of Health launched on Monday a book
containing an essential drug list (DOEN) across the country,
which is useful especially for health workers and institutions as
a guide in choosing the most effective, quality and economical
drugs.

Minister of Health Achmad Sujudi said that the list was
expected to enhance the availability of medicine and to make the
drugs more affordable to all citizens in a fair way.

The concept of "essential drugs" was introduced by the World
Health Organization (WHO) in 1975. Currently, 160 countries have
adopted the concept.

Only drugs which meet criteria such as scoring the highest
benefit-risk ratio and benefit-cost ratio, storage and
transportation practicality, popularity and availability will
make the list.

The Ministry of Health evaluates the DOEN every three years.
Some drugs listed on the 1998 DOEN were omitted in the 2002 DOEN
because the drugs were "old" and difficult to find on the market.

Because of some new developments in medicine, several new
drugs were also added to the 2002 DOEN. -- JP