Chairmanship seat of YLBHI vacant
JAKARTA (JP): Noted lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution bid farewell to the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation he has chaired for two years, leaving members in conflict about a successor.
In a reception marking the prestigious organization's 25th anniversary on Saturday, Buyung, who is well known as a human rights campaigner, formally declared his resignation from the foundation's executive board.
"I'm resigning to fulfill a promise," he told guests including political figures and human rights activists, such as Ali Sadikin, Mochtar Lubis, and A.M. Fatwa.
When he was appointed the chairman of the foundation in 1993, Buyung said he would hold the post for only two years. The statutes of the foundation state that a chairman's term is five years.
Chairman of the board of trustees Harjono Tjitrosoebono said the board, in its last meeting on Friday night, agreed to establish a team of caretakers when Buyung left. Buyung was among the 15 members of the board making that decision.
Soekardjo Adidjojo, a senior foundation lawyer, has been elected to chair the caretaker team. He will be assisted by H.J.C. Princen, as his deputy, Mas Achmad Santosa as secretary, Amartiwi Saleh treasurer, and two members of the caretaker team, Frans Hendra Winarta and Aswab Mahasin.
Several members of the foundation have criticized the establishment of the caretaker team, which will function as a collective chairman until January when the foundation holds its national congress. That gathering is expected to elect a new chairman.
Luhut M.P. Pangaribuan, a noted lawyer and director of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute, said the establishment of the team of caretakers was "unconstitutional" because the foundation's statutes make no provisions for the formation of such a group.
"This is proof of the executive board's failure to produce new leaders," he said.
Rita Serena Kolibonso, who has drawn nationwide attention for her involvement in some high-profile cases, such as the lawsuit for the banned Tempo magazine against the government, also questioned the decision of the board of trustees.
"They act as if there is nobody here capable enough to hold the post," she said.
Buyung said he meant well by his resignation. "I'm doing this because I want to provide a good model of leadership, of leaders who are not hogging positions," he said.
Buyung added that his resignation would by no means end his involvement with the body, as he will remain on the board of trustees.
"I will still be with you, in the front line of the pro- democracy movement," he said.
Established in Jakarta in 1970, the foundation started out as a provider of legal aid services for the weak and the downtrodden. It gradually developed into what has often been described as a center for the democracy and human rights campaign.
From only one office in the past, the foundation currently supervises 12 branch offices nationwide and project bases in 13 provinces, employing a total of 160 lawyers. (imn)