KABAR LUWUK – The Dismissed Scout Leader Files a Lawsuit Against the Chief Scout Commissioner, Retired Police Commissioner General Budi Waseso, at the Administrative Court. Untung Widyanto, a former Scout Manager, is suing the Chairman of the National Scout Council, Retired Police Commissioner General Budi Waseso, at the State Administrative Court (PTUN).
Untung Widyanto has filed a lawsuit at the Jakarta State Administrative Court regarding his dismissal as a member of the National Scout Council for the 2018-2023 term. The defendant is Chairman Budi Waseso, who was elected as chairman at the National Scout Conference in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, in September 2018.
“I was dismissed as the National Patron, which, from the perspective of being a Scout member, violates the Scout Oath and Scout Law. My mistake was criticizing the policy of the National Council leadership, which violated the Constitution and Bylaws of the Scout Movement,” said Untung Widyanto, a journalist and writer by profession, in his statement on July 2, 2023.
A few days ago, the Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN) received a lawsuit filed by Untung Widyanto’s lawyer with case number: 270/G/2023/PTUN.JKT. The first hearing is scheduled to begin next Wednesday. Untung Widyanto requested the PTUN Judge to declare the National Council Decree Number 025 of 2023, dated February 27, 2023, regarding the Replacement of National Scout Council Management for the 2018-2023 term, null and void.
The Dismissed Scout Leader Files a Lawsuit Against
In the decree signed by Budi Waseso, Untung Widyanto was dismissed as the National Patron (a member of the management). This decree violates Article 51 of the Scout Movement’s Constitution and Bylaws, which states that the replacement of council management can be done in cases of: (a) permanent hindrance; (b) resignation; (c) being convicted of a final criminal offense; and (d) violating the Scout Code of Honor. Untung Widyanto has never received a warning letter from the leadership and the National Council’s Council of Honor regarding a violation of the Scout Code of Honor.
However, Untung Widyanto’s experience and dedication to the Scout Movement have been extensive. He started as a Cub Scout in 1976 and then became a Scout. In the 1980s and 1990s, he served as the Secretary of the Scout Work Council for Penegak and Pandega Scouts in the Setiabudi District, Chairman of the South Jakarta District Scout Council, and Chairman of the Penegak and Pandega Scout Work Council in Jakarta. He later became the Patron of the Jakarta Regional Council and the National Patron of the National Council for the 2003-2008 and 2008-2013 terms.
Before Untung Widyanto, Budi Waseso had dismissed 9 other National Council members without clear reasons, including two vice-chairmen. In this administration, three vice-chairmen resigned, including Dede Yusuf (former Chairman of the West Java Regional Council and current member of the Democratic Party). Yudha Adhyaksa, the Head of the National Council’s Information Center (Pusinfo), also resigned due to differences with the leadership’s policies. Yudha was a former chairman of the Scout Work Council.
Since last year, Untung Widyanto has been questioning the National Council’s policy of prohibiting the East Java Regional Council from participating in national scout activities in the past three years. Budi Waseso did not recognize Arum Sabil, who was elected as the chairman of the East Java Regional Council at the Regional Scout Conference (Musda) on December 16, 2020. The East Java Regional Council emphasized that no articles in the Scout Movement’s Constitution and Bylaws.
