As advocates for those unable to protect their legal rights, LBH Jakarta looks for public support to regain its footing after announcing financial hardship last week.

The Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta), renowned as a front-liner against the authoritarian New Order regime, only had Rp 27 million (US$3,159) to its name, according to its financial report on May 20, while its monthly operational costs were approximately Rp 70 million.

“So far, we have received Rp 64.4 million in additional funds from public sources after announcing our financial crisis last week,” Alghiffari Aqsa, an LBH Jakarta attorney, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

The website for donations is http://bantuanhukum.or.id/index.php/id/donasi/daftar-donatur.

The foundation was funded by individual donations and donor institutions. The Jakarta administration was also one of the financial sources.

“One of the reasons why we experienced the financial crisis was because the donor institutions were late in sending their money,” he said. “Besides that, generally, many donor institutions are withdrawing their funding for us.”

The financial crisis is LBH Jakarta’s worst since being formed in 1970 with the support of Jakarta’s legendary governor, Ali Sadikin,

Alghiffari added that providing legal aid to the poor and the marginalized was actually the government’s responsibility.

Since forming, LBH has provided free legal aid to minority groups, laborers, evictees and farmers.

LBH’s 2010 annual report stated that it handled 1,150 complaints during 2010, from which 146,478 people were provided with legal aid. This year, it received 447 complaints (as of April), from which 3,949 people received legal aid.

Cecep Suryana Lesmana, 31, received aid from LBH in 2010 for medical misdiagnosis and mistreatment of his wife.

“My case is still pending, but so far I am satisfied with the help from LBH,” he said.

He added that he had received thorough consultations and explanations on his case’s legal status.

Another LBH client, Nani Nurani, told the Post that she fought for her ID card for eight years and eventually won the case in 2008.

Nani could not obtain an ID card because she was linked to the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) — outlawed by the New Order regime, which fell in 1998 — because she was a professional singer during the era.

“There is a slight difference between today’s LBH compared to when I first engaged with the foundation,” she said, adding that it was important for LBH officials to be sympathetic to clients, as many were reluctant to engage with the LBH if they felt ignored.

When the Post visited the LBH office one afternoon, the first floor was dark, as all the lights were switched off. The offices were quiet.

“People may say that LBH’s office was livelier during the New Order era, but it is actually still as lively as it ever was. It’s just that the building is bigger, so it doesn’t look so crowded,” Alghiffari said.

During the authoritarian era, legal aid institutions were rare. There were only LBH Jakarta and several public advocate NGOs.

“At that time, the funding came to us from everywhere, different from today, where there are so many new NGOs sprouting up, diluting the available money,” he said.

LBH Jakarta is one of several institutes established and managed by the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI).

YLBHI chairman Todung Mulya Lubis said that not only was LBH Jakarta suffering a financial crisis, but many other domestic NGOs, as well.

“Donors allocate smaller budgets here because Indonesia’s status as a low-income country has been upgraded to middle-income,” he said.

He added that the public and government should support the LBH.

“The so called ‘LBH alumni’ should also support the LBH, as I categorize them as part of the public,” he said. (rpt)

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