Leadership talks favor Bambang as legal aid chairman

JAKARTA (JP): After three days of negotiating, Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) activists from all over the country agreed on Saturday to end their crippling leadership quarrel.

The majority of participants voted to have incumbent chairman Bambang Widjojanto remain at the top, but required him to accommodate members of the old leadership, some of whom are his critics.

Rights activists T. Mulya Lubis, who presided over the meeting, said that the chairman has been given a mandate "to improve his board in accordance with the foundation's statutes".

The meeting negotiated and finally voted on six alternatives to break the impasse. Among the alternatives were a fresh election, the introduction of a completely new leadership structure and collective leadership.

The third alternative, which would have Bambang remain as chairman but with changes in the executive board according to the foundation's needs, received a majority of 15 votes. The second alternative, to have both Bambang and his executive board remain, got two votes.

Chairman of the board of trustees Harjono Tjitrosoebono said Bambang has less than three months to make the necessary changes in his board of executives.

In a press conference after the meeting on Saturday, Mulya Lubis also read a statement of reconciliation signed by 10 of the 13 directors of the foundation's branches.

"Without disregarding anybody's rights to conduct legal actions, we hope that the lawsuit filed by some YLBHI activists will be withdrawn now that we have reconciled," Mulya Lubis said.

He was referring to a legal suit filed against Bambang's camp.

The meeting was attended by all members of the board of trustees, the executive board and directors of some of the foundation's branches.

Dubbed as one of the country's prime movers of democracy, the foundation has been virtually paralyzed by a long-standing internal conflict that emerged in March during the elections for a new chairperson.

In the same month, a group of senior foundation members moved to stake a claim on its leadership through the establishment of a federation, despite threats of punishment from its board of trustees.

Bambang Widjojanto, elected in March as the new chairman in place of staunch human rights campaigner Adnan Buyung Nasution, has also formed a new executive board.

His foes, however, said his executive board is "legally defective" because it was formed through an undemocratic process.

Former foundation chairman Adnan Buyung Nasution said the conflict dragged on largely because some activists did not want to lose their seats on the board of executives, despite their terms of office being over.

Harjono said on Saturday that one of the most crucial issues discussed in the meeting was alleged financial mismanagement by a foundation member. He refused to give details, but said the board of trustees will soon set up a team to deal with the matter.

Mulya Lubis said another problem which has to be delicately handled was that of personal rifts. (16/swe)