CCD and CCA deny suspending their assistance to Dekopin

JAKARTA (JP): The Cooperative Center of Denmark (CCD) and the Canadian Cooperative Association (CCA) have denied withdrawing aid to the Indonesian Cooperatives Council (Dekopin) in protest over businessman Nurdin Halid's appointment as chairman.

Country Program Director Lene Ostergaard said on Thursday CCD had not expressed any opinion on the election of Dekopin's new chairman, because it was an internal affair.

"CCD has no plans to halt its aid to Dekopin, and will continue to support Dekopin and the development of the Bandung- based Cooperative Training Institute, according to the agreement with Dekopin," Ostergaard said.

Ostergaard said CCD had a meeting with Dekopin's new board, chaired by Nurdin on April 23, confirming the continued collaboration.

Michael Casey, CCA's country program director in Indonesia, also denied on Thursday that CCA had suspended any funding or project agreement with Dekopin as result of Nurdin's election.

"We have had no communication or relationship with the Indonesian Cooperative Union (Perkopin)... Any statements made by Perkopin relating to CCA, or our project INCODAP, or our relationship with Dekopin are unsubstantiated and unauthorized by CCA and have been made without prior knowledge, awareness or consent," he said in a statement.

Earlier, Perkopin said two international cooperatives associations -- CCD and CCA -- had withdrawn their financial and technical aid to Dekopin to protest Nurdin's appointment.

Perkopin said the two organizations had expressed their disappointment with the development of cooperatives in Indonesia over the past two years.

Ostergaard said CCD and Dekopin have collaborated for the past 11 years and, under the present agreement, would continue their association until the end of August 2000. Under the agreement, CCD funds 75 percent of the Cooperative Training Institute.

Nurdin was elected the new chairman of Dekopin at the council's congress last week. However, many parties, including several cooperative associations under Dekopin, opposed the selection, saying Nurdin used "money politics" to win the election. (gis)