Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – A rift within the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), which used to be dubbed "locomotive of democracy" has peaked with its chief being fired last week.
This time the conflict is between executive chairman Munarman and veteran lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution, who chairs the foundation's powerful supervisory body.
It is the second time so far this year LBH has been shaken by conflicts involving its top leadership. In January, there was a rift between Munarman and senior lawyer Daniel Panjaitan, who heads the foundation's legal advocacy department over a volunteer recruitment issue.
The second rift, had actually also began in January, when Munarman refused suggestions of his seniors at the supervisory body to accept donations to renovate the YLBHI office from Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso and politically well-connected businessman Tommy Winata for reasons of integrity.
The case, however, did not surface until Buyung issued a letter on March 27, in which he claimed that the decision was taken on recommendations of senior officials.
"In the letter, Bang Buyung (as Nasution widely known) requested me to voluntarily resign due to leadership and behavioral problems," Munarman told The Jakarta Post.
Also in the letter, Nasution accused Munarman of moonlighting at another non-governmental organization which provides legal advocation for Indonesian workers. The organization was set up under the banner of the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry.
Nasution also accused Munarman of supporting radical Islamist group Hizbuth Tahrir Indonesia, whose partisan agenda is against YLBHI's policy guidelines.
"I must say that the accusation is baseless. Yes, I assist workers with legal advocation, and I have informed YLBHI top leaders of this, including Bang Buyung. They had no objection, but why suddenly are they raising this issue against me," Munarman asked.
"My relationship with members of the Hizbuth Tahrir began as we were asked by a Muslim activist to be their legal advisers. At that time, the government began to introduce the antiterrorism law targeting Muslim activists who once traveled to Afghanistan," Munarman said, referring to the period between 2004 and 2005 when families and relatives of Muslim activists filed complaints with police over alleged maltreatment by security officers.
"I sympathized with their cause because we have the same perspective in viewing the US-led global antiterrorism campaign," Munarman said.
Internal rifts have marred the foundation since its establishment in 1970, on the initiative of several young idealistic lawyers and Jakarta governor Ali Sadikin. YLBHI now has 15 representative offices nationwide; with Riau being the latest to be established.
Internal bickerings pushed put activists who later became prominent lawyers, such as Todung Mulya Lubis, Bambang Widjoyanto, and Luhut M.P. Pangaribuan, and also the current Attorney General Abdul Rahman Saleh.