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Law ministry to mediate Red Cross chairmanship dispute
Incumbent PMI chairman Jusuf Kalla was reelected to the top post at the PMI’s national meeting in Jakarta on Monday, but Golkar Party politician Agung Laksono has claimed he is the legitimate chairman despite not being a member of the humanitarian organization.
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An Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) official processes thrombocytes in blood bags at the organization's office in Surakarta, Central Java, on March 30, 2024. The Surakarta PMI office recorded a doubling of demand for thrombocyte blood transfusions for dengue fever patients in the Greater Surakarta region. (Antara/Maulana Surya)
L
aw Minister Supratman Andi Agtas has said the government will mediate a dispute over the chairmanship of the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), one of the country’s oldest humanitarian organizations.
Incumbent PMI chairman Jusuf Kalla was reelected to the top post at the PMI’s national meeting in Jakarta on Monday, but Golkar Party politician Agung Laksono has claimed he is the legitimate chairman despite not being a member of the humanitarian organization.
“We will try to mediate the dual leadership issue, although it depends on whether or not both camps want mediation,” Supratman told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
The ministry is currently reviewing both factions’ requests for the government to recognize their own claims to the PMI chairmanship.
“We are looking into whether the decisions are in line with the PMI’s bylaws,” Supratman said.
Kalla, who has held the PMI chairman position since 2009, questioned what Agung’s basis was for requesting that the ministry accept his claim to the chairmanship.
“He can try, of course, but can he present a strong case? His version of candidacy did not meet the requirements that are regulated in the PMI bylaws,” Kalla told the Post on Tuesday.
