Labor exporters meet to elect new boss
Labor exporters meet to elect new boss
JAKARTA (JP): The rift within the Association of Labor Export
Companies worsened yesterday when rebel members, with the
government's blessing, held a congress to elect new leaders.
The congress, opened by Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief, was
attended by 118 of the approximately 135 association members.
The incumbent board of executives under Mahfudz Djaelani was
conspicuous by its absence and plans to hold its own parley in
the near future.
Formed last year to end the chaos affecting Indonesia's labor
exports, the association is split into two opposing camps. The
rebel one is spearheaded by Abdullah Puteh and the other by
Mahfudz who allied with the organization's chief of advisory
council Malik Aliun.
Mahfudz's official term of office will end in 1998. His
opponents, however, have been mounting pressure to dethrone him
through a congress because they consider him incompetent.
In apparent criticism of Mahfudz's leadership, Minister Abdul
Latief said that Mahfudz failed to draft a statute, which is
essential to obtain government recognition.
Besides, he said, he had received a lot of complaints from the
association's members, who demanded that Mahfudz account for the
organization's activities and financial record.
Latief said that the association has to elect a leader who is
truly professional.
"The association has to be controlled and ready to compete on
the international market. Its leaders should refrain from making
statements which hurt the organization's image," he said.
Abdullah Puteh is widely tipped to grab the association's top
slot. He said he would take the job if most members elect him.
The association was formed in March last year and is expected
to design strategies for market expansion and devise ways to
provide better legal protection for workers.
The internal rift arose because some members want to impose
their will on others for their own or their group's interests. It
is also fired by fierce competition among the members, observers
say.
They say that many executives of the association, a
reorganization of a group of worker exporting companies, hold
their posts simply because of their connection with powerful
government officials who have shares in manpower firms. (ste)