Legal foundation 'not a political party': Buyung
Legal foundation 'not a political party': Buyung
JAKARTA (JP): Outgoing chairman of the Indonesian Legal Aid
Foundation (YLBHI) Adnan Buyung Nasution says the people should
not expect too much from the foundation in promoting democracy in
Indonesia because it is not a political organization.
"It is unrealistic to expect the foundation to politically
transform the country into a more democratic society because the
foundation is not, and will never become, a political
organization," he said at a press conference marking the
foundation's 25th anniversary.
"If the political situation has changed, that has not been
done by the YLBHI itself, but by the hard work of all those who
support democracy, including political organizations and the
foundation and other non-governmental organizations," he said.
At the press conference, Buyung, who recently announced his
resignation, launched three new books published by the
foundation.
They are LBH: Memberdayakan Masyarakat Membangun Demokrasi
(LBH: Empowering People to Develop Democracy), Catatan Hak Asasi
Manusia di Indonesia 1994 (Report on Human Rights in Indonesia in
1994) and Pidana Politik (Political Crimes).
Buyung said that if the people want to develop democracy, the
country's legislature should be empowered to control executive
power and review the law. He said the government should realize
its function of serving the people and accommodating their
aspirations.
He said the foundation had made significant strides, but that
it needed to be pro-active in carrying out its mission of
providing legal aid to justice-seekers and promoting democracy
and human rights.
"The foundation has yet to have a decisive influence in
handling cases and it is still only reactive against the existing
situation," he said, citing numerous small cases which could not
be handled completely in the past.
He said he hoped that the foundation would remain faithful to
its initial mission of providing legal advocacy for the public
and fighting for democracy.
Buyung said his resignation from the foundation's chairmanship
was aimed at giving the younger figures in his profession
opportunities to lead and develop the legal institution.
"I am not going anywhere. I will remain a member of the board
of patrons of the foundation and I am committed to its mission.
The time has come for the young generation to lead the
foundation, which has about 160 lawyers," he said.
The board of patrons met last night to appoint several people
as care-taker leaders of the foundation, which has chapters in
all provinces.
The foundation will organize a national congress in the near
future to elect a new chairman. Top lawyers Mulyana Kusumah,
Nursyahbani Kacasungkana and Achmad Santosa are considered front-
runners for the job.
Meanwhile, Mulyana, who accompanied Buyung at the meeting,
said that the foundation, which has faced waves of repression
from the government in carrying out its mission, would continue
its activities in providing legal assistance to the weak.
"We will give priority to the fight against injustices and
repression in an effort to encourage structural changes in
society," he said.
He said that unjust practices, repression, human rights
violations -- especially in labor and land cases -- were still
prevalent in Indonesia. (rms)