Interview with Jan van Olden
THE CENTRE FOR INTERNATIONAL LEGAL COOPERATION

"Setting up effective projects is like mixing a cocktail. Find
the proper mix of academic expertise, practical experience,
political nous, projects management, and last but not least,
the personal touch, and any project will have a reasonable
chance of success. By the same token, an unbalanced mixture of
very tasty ingredients can make a project flop."
This may be called the motto of the Centre for International
Legal Cooperation which is based in Leiden. Originally
institutionalized in the mid 1980s, what was then called the
Netherlands Council for Cooperation with Indonesia in Legal
Matters, the 'Centre' is now operating in new markets. The
Centre is based in Leiden and is the guest of Leiden
University. Mr. Jan van Olden is the director. 

By Dick van der Meij

'In April 1992 the relationship between Indonesia and the
Netherlands as far as development cooperation was concerned
was breached. The "Council", not unlike many other
institutions in the Netherlands, found its future seriously
jeopardized. No projects with Indonesia were possible and thus
no more funds were available to sustain our position. However,
our expertise, built up over the years, was felt to be too
important to be lost. Nowadays we are active in projects in
central and eastern Europe and in Asia.'
In the past, the work of the "Council" used to be organized in
a number of projects, in the first place cooperation at an
academic level. In Indonesia workshops were organized to
discuss legal matters crucial to a uniform legal system
throughout Indonesia, and a sandwich PhD programme was
executed. Indonesian candidates were trained by Indonesian and
Dutch staff and defended their PhD theses in Indonesia.
Secondly Indonesian judges were trained, and thirdly a course
in legislation and law-making was organized at the Ministry of
Justice in Jakarta.
All programmes included the provision of relevant literature
and the translation of important juridical works. A
jurisprudence databank was also set up to provide a solid base
for sound legal practice.
All programmes were acknowledged by broad appreciation both in
Indonesia and in the Netherlands.
However, after April 1992 the "Council" was dissolved and new
ways of using the expertise which had accumulated during its
existence between 1985 and 1992 were sought. In 1993 the
Centre for International Legal Cooperation was established. It
operates mostly in countries currently reforming their legal
systems. Fortunately, the past ties with Indonesia have been
renewed are resulting in new projects. A project in China is
also being prepared.
'Our network in the Netherlands and in Indonesia, and the
expertise we have in organizing, advising and implementing
programmes are both extensive. The same holds true of our
experience in translating and publishing. This is now being
sought by the countries which are developing their legal
system. I sometimes find myself really amazed that people in
countries as far away as for instance Mongolia call upon us
for help. Apparently our name has spread to those places, and
that is all to the good.'

Van Olden is happy that the ties with Indonesia are still
maintained and at present has resulted in four programmes in
Indonesia which are being planned or are already being
executed. A new project for a renewed cooperation between
Dutch and Indonesian universities is in a preparatory phase. A
seminar on the new Dutch Civil Code (implemented in 1992) was
held in Jakarta in June 1994; new joint seminars will follow.
A small project on environmental legislation in Indonesia is
sponsored by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture, and
Sciences. It consists of research done by the Van Vollenhoven
Institute for Law and Administration in Non-Western Countries
in Leiden and a joint seminar in Indonesia.
One of the projects conducted by the Centre itself is an
Indonesian - Dutch Law Dictionary. This work is being carried
out by Mr Marianne Termorshuizen, Drs. Ab Massier, Drs. Laura
Lanc‚e, and from April 1995 onwards, Drs. Caroline Supriyanto
- Breur. The aim is to compile a comprehensive dictionary of
about 500 pages based on Indonesian law and legislation.
Material is extracted from numerous sources comprising the
whole field of Indonesian law in the broad sense of the word.
The library of the Van Vollenhoven Institute forms the basis
of the inventory of legal terms and terminology. Funding has
been obtained from the Dutch Ministry of Justice and the
Ministry of Education, Science and the Arts. The work started
in August 1993 and is scheduled to be finished around 1998.