Newly-founded legal aid body gets warm welcome

Newly-founded legal aid body gets warm welcome

JAKARTA (JP): The newly founded Indonesian Legal Aid and Human
Rights Association (PBHI) should spur the ongoing drive to
promote human rights in Indonesia, law experts and human rights
activists said over the weekend.

Abdul Hakim Garuda Nusantara said he hopes the new association
will be a complement to groups like the Indonesian Legal Aid
Foundation (YLBHI), which he once chaired, rather than a
competitor.

"We still need many more institutions like this," said Abdul
Hakim, now chairman of Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy
(ELSAM).

Legal aid institutions like YLBHI and PBHI have filled the
vacuum in the legal system caused by a shortage of lawyers, he
said. Indonesia has between 11,000 and 14,000 lawyers to serve
the needs of nearly 200 million people.

Legal aid bodies initially were run by lawyers, but lately
some of these organizations have recruited activists to help ease
their workload, and are now turning their attention to human
rights issues.

The PBHI was founded on Nov. 5 by lawyers and activists
discontented with the leadership of the YLBHI.

Luhut M.P. Pangaribuan, the current chairman of the Jakarta
Legal Aid Institute, is chief of the new group's policy-making
board. Mulyana W. Kusumah serves as the board's secretary, while
Hendardi is its executive director. Both Mulyana and Hendardi
also served in the YLBHI.

J. Sahetapy, a legal expert at the Airlangga University in
Surabaya, said that PBHI should not repeat mistakes made by the
YLBHI.

"I wouldn't call it a splinter group of YLBHI. I think we have
to consider its founding as a natural reaction from those
concerned with legal as well as human rights issues," he said.

The association should strive to give its best service, he
said, because people are "still badly in need of legal aid and
human rights advocacy, but they have become apathetic with the
existing formal channels."

"This (new) association must dare to deal with controversial
cases without fearing the political risks it will have to take,"
he added.

Asmara Nababan, of the National Commission on Human Rights,
said he hopes the PBHI will ease the workload of the commission.

"The commission is always open to cooperate with NGOs and
legal aid institutes," Asmara said, adding that he will reserve
further comment until the new association begins to show results.

House legislator Handjojo Putro said he looks forward to
working with PBHI on transforming Indonesia into a nation that is
based on the rule of law, where human rights are fully respected.

"We have not reached that goal. It's still a dream," said
Handjojo, who serves in the House's Commission III on legal
affairs.

Handjojo underlined the need cure Indonesia's criminal justice
system, which he described as "ailing." (26)