Legal aid foundation to hold talks to end rift
Legal aid foundation to hold talks to end rift
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) will
bring together its activists from across Indonesia next week for
a "national dialog" to end its protracted leadership rift.
The foundation's secretary general Aswab Mahasin said the
dialog will be held from May 8 through 10 at a venue to be
decided in a few days.
Dubbed one of prime movers of democracy, the foundation has
been practically crippled by internal bickering that worsened in
March during the election of a new chairman.
One camp charged that the election of Bambang Widjojanto was
undemocratic. The rift culminated in the dismissal of Mulyana W.
Kusumah, the foundation's executive director.
Also in March a group of senior members of the foundation
moved to stake a claim on the foundation's leadership by
establishing a rival federation, despite threats of punishment
by the foundation's board of trustees .
Bambang, elected the new chairman in place of staunch human
rights activist Adnan Buyung Nasution, has also formed his new
executive board, which was condemned by the group as "legally
defective because it was created through an undemocratic
process."
Mahasin said those critical of Bambang's leadership will be
given every opportunity to speak up before the board of trustees,
the foundation's highest decision-making body.
"The main purpose of the dialog is to seek the best way to
resolve the crisis and to unite the divided leadership," Mahasin
said.
Senior activist Abdulrahman Saleh will have the honor of
leading the three-day dialog. The board of trustees also decided
that lawyer T. Mulya Lubis will chair the steering committee.
Bambang, who will chair the organizing committee in the dialog
forum, said yesterday he had invited his most staunch critics,
Mulyana, Rambun Tjajo, Hendardi and Luhut M.P. Pangaribuan to the
talks.
Bambang said he has no objection if the board of trustees
decides to annul the results of the March congress and calls for
a new election.
"Why should I reject it if the board so decides?" he asked.
Aswab Mahasin also said that all provincial directors of the
Legal Aid Institute are invited to the forum and will be
allocated a special session to state their position.(16)