CCD and CCA deny suspending their assistance to Dekopin

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associations -- CCD and CCA -- had withdrawn their financial and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)