Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – An internal rift is again threatening the work of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), flatteringly dubbed the "locomotive of democracy" during the authoritarian rule of Soeharto.
This time the conflict pits executive chairman Munarman against senior lawyer Daniel Panjaitan, who heads the foundation's legal advocacy department.
The rift began last week when Munarman refused Panjaitan's suggestion that YLBHI admit two young people, who had just completed a training program, as new advocates. Munarman argued the two trainees had "disciplinary problems," an argument that Panjaitan fiercely challenged.
Munarman then tendered his resignation to the foundation's supervisory body, which it rejected. Instead, members of the body called for him to evaluate staff, which may affect several top officials, including Panjaitan. Munarman also locked Panjaitan out of his office.
"Now, I'm working on the evaluation process before deciding if a reshuffle will be necessary. The evaluation will look into individual capacity and integrity," Munarman told The Jakarta Post over the week end.
Many believe that Munarman would move Panjaitan to a non-portfolio post. Munarman said: "I hope that I can complete the evaluation and the reshuffle processes within a month."
Internal rifts have plagued the foundation since its establishment in 1970, the initiative of several young idealistic lawyers and the Jakarta administration under governor Ali Sadikin. YLBHI now has 14 representative offices nationwide.
A history of rifts have pushed out activists who later became prominent lawyers, such as Todung Mulya Lubis, Bambang Widjoyanto, and Luhut M.P. Pangaribuan, and also the current Attorney General Abdurrahman Saleh.
The late human rights campaigner Munir quit the foundation after lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution, a senior YLBHI activist, joined a team of lawyers defending high- and middle-ranking military and police officers accused of committing gross human rights violations in East Timor around the 1999 ballot for independence.