Tambunan: Golkar member, PDI defender

By Prasetyo Hadi and T. Sima Gunawan

JAKARTA (JP): How do you determine the loyalty of a political party's member? The question lingers as lawyer Robert Odjahan Tambunan, a member of Golkar, defends Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Tambunan, 58, is the chief lawyer of Megawati, the ousted leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI). Along with some other 3,000 lawyers from all over the country who have proclaimed themselves "Public Defenders of Indonesian Democracy", he handles political cases involving the PDI.

Last month he filed a lawsuit against Soerjadi, the current PDI chairman, Armed Forces (ABRI) Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung and Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie S. Memet. He sued them at the Central Jakarta District Court in connection with the PDI congress in Medan four months ago, which he dubbed unlawful.

Rocked by heated internal conflicts, the PDI is now split. Some support Megawati, others Soerjadi.

There has been mixed reaction to Tambunan's handling of the PDI cases. He has gained the support of the Indonesian Bar Association (IKADIN) and the Indonesian Advocates' Association (AAI) -- the two main lawyers' organizations in the country, but some people question his motives, saying Tambunan is engaged in political maneuvering.

Minister of Justice Oetoyo Oesman is particularly suspicious. He said earlier this week that he would investigate Tambunan's activities. Suparman Achmad, chairman of the Armed Forces faction, had even called for the withdrawal of Tambunan's license.

Yet Tambunan has not given up. He said he is determined to work thoroughly and there is no way that he will stop halfway.

"I feel that as a lawyer, I have a call to do my job in accordance with the existing regulations.

"What's more, I have different political aspirations than Megawati. I am a Golkar cadre with a clear registration number," he told The Jakarta Post Wednesday.

Tambunan believes that even though he is a Golkar member, there is nothing wrong with his decision to defend Megawati.

"The fact that I am a Golkar member who can defend those from another party should enhance my professionalism as a lawyer," he said.

"I base my professional activities on law, justice and truth, not on politics," he said.

Megawati used to be a "stranger" to him. Their first meeting was on June 26 this year when Megawati invited Tambunan for a meeting at the Hilton, to discuss the case and ask him to become her lawyer. Tambunan accepted because he had sympathy on her, and they had something in common.

Stance

"We happen to have the same political stance. For example, we believe that political organizations must be independent, that people's political rights should not be suppressed and that democracy must be implemented properly," he said.

But he underlined that even though they share opinions, he remains a Golkar member.

The Central Jakarta District Court is also trying 124 people -- all Megawati supporters -- who are charged with vandalism in connection with the July 27 riots.

The riots broke after Soerjadi's men violently took over the PDI's headquarters on Jl. Diponegoro, Central Jakarta, earlier in the morning.

Another lawsuit was filed by Megawati and her sister, Sukmawati, against ABRI Chief of Sociopolitical Affairs Lt. Gen. Syarwan Hamid for alleged libel. However, it was later dropped after the court urged the parties to seek a peaceful out-of-court settlement.

There were two other suits filed by Megawati against government officials. Earlier this month, she filed a lawsuit at the Jakarta State Administrative Court against the East Jakarta mayoralty for closing down the party's office in the Condet subdistrict of East Jakarta.

The last suit was filed on Oct.8 against the General Elections Institute and its chairman, Yogie S. Memet, who is also Minister of Home Affairs. Memet was sued for rejecting her list but accepting Soerjadi's.

A number of lawsuits were also filed by Megawati supporters in several other cities, against PDI executives and local government officials who support Soerjadi.

Tambunan has been interested in politics since he was very young. He liked Soekarno's speeches and would read them out loud in his room. Born in Pangaribuan, North Tapanuli, Sumatra, in 1938, Tambunan went to a high school in Bogor, West Java in 1954. He continued his studies at the law school of the University of Indonesia, but dropped out because of his activities in youth organizations. He later continued at the University of Jayabaya and graduated in 1962.

Tambunan, who took part in the fight against the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), became an executive in Golkar's youth forum. Early in 1970 he was appointed member of parliament. However, he decided to resign from Golkar in 1982 due to "differences of perception" with other Golkar leaders.

"As a Golkar member, I felt I should be sensitive to the people's will, but it seemed at that time Golkar was more attentive to politics," he was quoted last month by Forum Keadilan as saying.

Controversial

In 1973 he was rebuked for demanding a thorough investigation of a murder allegedly committed by the son of a high ranking police officer, Widodo Budidarmo, who was promoted to national police chief in 1974.

He had earlier lodged a strong protest against the government in a car smuggling case. While law enforcers put the blame on two businessmen, Robby Tjahyadi and Paul Handoko, who smuggled the cars, Twmbunan pointed the finger to the many loopholes in the government's regulations that allowed such smuggling.

In 1977, Tambunan criticized the trial of the head of the East Kalimantan Logistic Depot (Bulog), Budiardjo, who was accused of corruption. Tambunan believed that the head of Bulog central office, Bustanul Arifin, should also be held responsible. "I have evidence for his involvement in the case," he said. But law enforcers told Tambunan to shut his mouth.

By then already a controversial figure, in 1987 Tambunan filed a law suit against PT Bentoel, the cigarette manufacturer, for Rp 1 trillion, to be used for the benefit of the youth. He said PT Bentoel's new brand, Bentoel Remaja Jaya (Glorious Youth), and the way it promoted the product, could harm the younger generation.

The Central Jakarta District Court turned down the suit on the grounds that Tambunan, who claimed to represent the youth, did not have any formal letter of authority from them. This, however, did not mean that Tambunan completely failed. The cigarette manufacturer later voluntarily revoked the products.

Tambunan did not get any fee from his "clients" in Bentoel's case. But he did not mind as his real mission had nothing to do with money. He said that he filed the suit to introduce the concept of class action to Indonesia.

Clearly, handling the PDI's troubles is not going to make him rich, either. He is not charging Megawati and other PDI supporters for his services.

What does he want to achieve?

"I want to see independent and qualified political parties," he said.