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)