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)