It's business as usual at Legal Aid Foundation as staff fights
It's business as usual at Legal Aid Foundation as staff fights
JAKARTA (JP): Senior staff at the Indonesian Legal Aid
Foundation (YLBHI), from both Jakarta and the regions, joined
forces yesterday to denounce the election of Bambang Widjojanto
as the new chairman of the executive board.
The group said in a statement that they did not recognize
Bambang's election, and have formed a federation to carry out the
foundation's activities until a chairman is elected by more
"democratic" means.
Their move threatened to break up YLBHI, which once prided
itself as the "locomotive of democracy".
It was not clear who was really in charge at YLBHI yesterday.
Bambang, who has been given three days to form a new executive
board following Tuesday's election, was not in the YLBHI office
yesterday. His colleagues said he was working on his annual
report in his previous capacity as director of operations.
In spite of the threats of a break-up, it appeared to be
business as usual at the YLBHI headquarters on Jl. Diponegoro,
with people seeking legal aid coming in and out and staff,
including lawyers, working in their offices.
Opposition to Bambang's election came from legal aid offices
in Jakarta, Bandar Lampung, Bandung, Semarang, Yogyakarta,
Denpasar, Manado and Ujungpandang. The other five regional legal
aid offices -- in Padang, Palembang, Medan, Surabaya and Jayapura
-- have not said whether they support or oppose the election.
Six YLBHI leaders, who were also candidates for the post, have
also joined the dissident group. They are Mulyana W. Kusumah,
Luhut M.P. Pangaribuan, Amartiwi Saleh, H.J.C. Princen, Hendardi
and Rambun Tjayo.
In their joint statement, they said they formed their
federation to save YLBHI from disintegrating.
Mulyana said that the federation is not a rival board within
the foundation. "We are fighting for the enforcement of democracy
in YLBHI, we are not separating from it," he said.
Bambang was elected in a secret ballot by members of the
foundation's Board of Trustees on Friday. The result of the
election was announced on Tuesday. (imn)