NGOs not established to oppose government
NGOs not established to oppose government
By Imanuddin
BOGOR, West Java (JP): They're growing in strength, in
visibility and now they are getting more vocal.
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have become the biggest
critics of the government. In the case of Indonesia, they are
seen as more effective than the opposition parties in influencing
public opinion, and sometimes policy decision-making processes.
But Indonesian NGO leaders are quick to point out that they
are not the political opposition. They have no intention of
becoming one. It's just the nature of their work that sometimes,
or very often, they have to speak out against the government.
With the increasing demand for greater democratization and
more justice at a time when government is becoming more powerful
-- situations generally found worldwide -- the role of the NGOs
will become even greater. Human rights, labor rights, anti-
nuclear movements and the protection of indigenous people and the
environment are just some of the main issues preoccupying NGOs.
Abdul Hakim Garuda Nusantara, chairman of the Institute for
Policy Research and Advocacy, said NGOs in Indonesia have been
growing in line with the people's increasing awareness of their
rights and their desire for justice.
"NGOs in Indonesia were not established to oppose the
government. We only criticize government policies that are
contradictory to the laws," Abdul Hakim, who once chaired the
Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), told The Jakarta Post.
"NGOs are also not out to overthrow the government," he added.
Abdul Hakim was one of more than the 50 Indonesian NGO leaders
that recently gathered at the Kinasih Guesthouse in Caringin to
discuss the role of their organizations and how to sustain
themselves.
The cool temperature in the resort town of Caringin helped to
temper the atmosphere, particularly on heated subjects like human
rights.
Abdul Hakim said NGOs came into prominence in Indonesia more
by accident than by design.
The Legal Aid Institute of YLBHI, for example, was compelled
to stand behind the thousands of Kedung Ombo villagers in Central
Java when the government appropriated their land to make way for
a huge reservoir. The institute is still representing dozens of
the villagers fighting for better government compensation. The
displacement of Kedung Ombo villagers became one of the most
controversial issues in the 1980s, pitting the government against
the NGOs.
It was also a land conflict that spurred the establishment of
the Alpha Omega Foundation in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, which
tried to defend the villagers. "Some local businessmen, with the
support of the local administration, were procuring the land at
ridiculously low prices," Yones Pellokila of the foundation told
The Post.
Boedhi Wijardjo of the Bela Banua Puti Jaji Institute in
Samarinda, East Kalimantan, said his organization came into being
to defend the indigenous Dayak people.
"We established the institute after finding that the
indigenous people were always getting blamed for the
deforestation of Kalimantan," Boedhi said.
Abdul Hakim believes that some NGOs have earned the reputation
of being government opponents because they generally side with
the people in government disputes.
He stressed, however, that differences should be respected in
democracy.
He asked: "Is there anything wrong with the people having
different opinions than the government on certain issues? Debate
and criticism are not destructive, are they?"
Asmara Nababan, chairman of the International NGO Forum on
Indonesian Development, said there would be little or no use for
NGOs if everyone played by the rules.
He cited as an example the government's minimum wage
regulation.
If companies complied there would be no dispute. And if the
All Indonesian Workers Union were more effective in defending its
members, there would be no need for a second union like the SBSI
(Indonesian Prosperous Labor Union).
Nababan, who is also a member of the National Commission on
Human Rights, said NGOs will not disappear as there will always
be imperfections and weaknesses in the government and its
policies.
The activists interviewed said they believe that NGOs will
remain independent as most of their operational expenses are
covered by foreign funds.
"Indonesia receives foreign aid every year, but it is still
independent, isn't it?" Abdul Hakim said, adding that the same
principle holds true for NGOs.
"We remain independent in our ideas and practices," Nababan
affirmed.
"We are only required to make periodic reports to the donor
agencies on how their project funds have been used," Boedhi said.