New legal aid institute formed
By James Balowski
JAKARTA — The Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI) was formed last November 5 by almost the entire operational division of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) and a number of prominent human rights activists.
The founding congress elected a national council with Luhud M.P. Pangaribuan as its chairperson and Mulyana W. Kusumah as secretary and Hendardi as director of the executive board. Other council members include Permadi, Dwiyanto Prihartono, Benny K. Harman, Bonar Tigor Naipospos and Arist Merdeka Sirait.
Announcing its formation, the association stated that its aim was to provide free legal assistance to the poor and to promote the rule of law and a democratic political system. It asserted that many NGOs had failed to realise their goals due to problems of poor management, bureaucracy and a lack of internal democracy.
Kusumah told Green Left Weekly that PBHI's goals and program were similar to YLBHI's, but its organisational structure would be fundamentally different, with program and leadership being determined by local branches.
Throughout 1996, YLBHI was plagued by increasingly public internal disputes over questions of funding, political direction, organisational structure and leadership.
The dispute reached a head after Bambang Wijoyanto was appointed chairperson of the institute. Many claimed that Wijoyanto's appointment was undemocratic and represented the interests of Adnan Buyung Nasution, the institute's previous chair. Human rights activists have been critical of Nasution's close links with ex-general Benny Moerdani and prominent members of the elite such as minister of research and technology B.J. Habibie.