Legal aid identifies new trend in disputes

Legal aid identifies new trend in disputes

YOGYAKARTA (JP): The Yogyakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH) has
handled 461 cases this year, but only 46 percent of them have
been settled, its director says.

Speaking at the Institute's year-end press briefing, Budi
Santoso said that only nine of the settled cases were resolved in
court. "The other cases were settled amicably."

Budi explained that most of the cases LBH Yogyakarta had
handled were horizontal cases, involving disputes between large
groups of people, which are legally more complicated. "Not all
cases could be settled legally."

"There have been changes in the pattern of conflict. In the
past vertical conflicts were dominant," he said, citing as
example the cases between the people and bureaucrats, the
military, or investors, it handled in 1998.

"Now, there are more horizontal cases, involving different
groups of people or communities. It is not easy to settle
horizontal cases, which generally involve a large number of
people," Budi said.

This trend indicates that the current criminal code can no
longer accommodate the legal cases existing within the community.
"Therefore, we strongly suggest that the criminal code (KUHP) be
revised to meet the present demand," he said.

According to Budi, LBH Yogyakarta handled 634 cases in 1999,
or 28 percent more than this year. In 1998 his office handled 837
cases. "The number does decline, but the quality increases due to
the changes in the pattern of conflict."

In another development, the Muhammadiyah University's Center
of Legal Aid in Yogyakarta announced that legal reform had yet to
be achieved.

In its year-end statements, the Center said that the year 2000
was gloomy with violence still being committed by military and
police, anarchy among civilians, and the survival of a "court
mafia".

The Center's secretary, Iwan Satriawan said that the "court
mafia" had made people skeptical of justice in Indonesia. "Court
mafia could be felt, but could not be proved legally."

Many legal practitioners and officials have denied that "court
mafia" exists in the country.

Iwan called on the people to have more courage and report any
violence conducted by military or police officers "for the sake
of better law enforcement".

He also said that civilians had become more rebellious.
(swa/23)