Legal Aid Foundation's executive board installed
Legal Aid Foundation's executive board installed
JAKARTA (JP): Lawyer Bambang Widjojanto was formally installed
as the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation's (YLBHI) executive board
chairman yesterday amid a new row over access to bank accounts
between two competing camps in the organization.
Bambang, 36, was installed by Board of Trustees Chairman
Harjono Tjitrosoebono. The board had elected him in preference to
other, more senior and experienced, candidates.
Bambang yesterday also revealed some, but not all, of the
members of the executive board, an indication that the precarious
negotiations with senior YLBHI staffers who had opposed his
election were still on-going.
Bambang appointed Soekardjo Adidjojo, a lawyer and runner up
in the election, and Frans Hendra Winarta, also a lawyer, as his
deputies. The secretary-general will be Ahmad Fauzan, former
Director of the YLBHI's Manado chapter, while the post of
treasurer will be temporarily held by Frans.
Bambang replaced Adnan Buyung Nasution who resigned in
October. He will serve for a year and half, which is the
remaining period of Buyung's term.
Conspicuously absent from Bambang's shortlist are names such
as Luhut M.P. Pangaribuan, Hendardi, Mulyana W. Kusumah, Amartiwi
Saleh and Rambun Tjayo who had been on the old executive board.
These names had formed a federation with YLBHI in protest over
the way the board of trustees conducted the election. The
federation has claimed to take over the running of the
organization's day-to-day activities in defiance of the Board of
Trustees' warning.
The row intensified yesterday when Adnan Buyung Nasution, as a
member of the Board of Trustees, blocked a number of YLBHI
accounts in three banks: Bank BNI, Bank Exim and ABN Bank to deny
access to the dissenters. Frans co-signed the order to block the
accounts.
One of those who was denied access was Luhut M.P. Pangaribuan,
the chairman of the Jakarta Office of the Legal Aid Institute. He
said that the move could severely disrupt his office's
activities. "Both Buyung and Frans are no longer on the executive
board," Luhut said.
He said he hoped the new chairman would reverse the move but
added that his office would try to continue its operation even
without money.
Harjono supported Adnan's initiative. "By blocking the bank
accounts, we can prevent the possibility of any irresponsible use
of the funds," he said.
Neither Buyung nor Harjono would disclose the amount of money
at stake.
Bambang, in his inaugural speech, said the tasks ahead for
YLBHI are not easy. One of them is to develop democracy in the
country.
He also appealed for reconciliation with the dissenters. (imn)