New association for rights founded
New association for rights founded
JAKARTA (JP): A group of prominent legal and human rights
activists announced yesterday the establishment of Indonesian
Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI).
Aiming to provide legal aid for the poor and the legal-
illiterate, the association is mostly staffed by people
previously active in the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute
Foundation (YLBHI), one of Indonesia's prominent legal aid
bodies.
Mulyana W. Kusumah and Hendardi, respectively the new
association's secretary and executive director, were former
members of the YLBHI who left following an internal leadership
wrangle. Luhut M.P. Pangaribuan, chairman of the new association,
was still member of YLBHI as well as director of the Jakarta
office of the legal aid institute.
Luhut said yesterday the association would work toward
building a nation which would respect the supremacy of law, a
democratic political system and provide a legal system with full
human rights protection.
He said democracy would start with the association, which is
based on state ideology Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution.
Leadership elections, for example, will be conducted in a
democratic manner, he promised.
Hendardi said the organization complies with the law
stipulating that all mass organizations must register with the
Ministry of Home Affairs.
"This association will be an umbrella association for human
rights activists and open to individual as well as institutional
membership," Hendardi said.
"It is something new, more democratic and more able to
accommodate our aspirations," Hendardi said.
Hendardi and Mulyana left YLBHI criticizing the overpowering
role of its board of trustees in deciding the foundation's
leadership.
The decision to set up the new association was made at a
meeting of 42 legal and human rights activists on Nov. 5 in
Jakarta. The association has already opened branches in several
provinces, including West Java, West and South Kalimantan, South
Sulawesi and Yogyakarta.
A number of prominent people founded the association,
including senior journalist Mochtar Lubis a former YLBHI board of
trustees member. Lawyers Amartiwi Saleh and Tumbu Saraswati and
political observer Arbi Sanit were also involved.
The other founders were sooth-sayer Permadi, lawyer Dwiyanto
Prihartono and activists of a number of non-governmental
organizations, Benny K. Harman, Bonar Tigor Naipospos and Arist
Merdeka Sirait.
Mulyana said the association would provide legal aid and
conduct studies and researches. (26)