'Police, intelligence agency are ignoring the President'<\/p>\n
It has been nine months since the murder of rights activist
\nMunir in September and the government appointed fact-finding team
\nis scheduled to end its investigation next month. The Jakarta
\nPost's Ati Nurbaiti talked to Munir's widow Suciwati, as she
\nprepares to go abroad next month to speak about her husband's
\ncase. Below are excerpts of the interview:<\/p>\n
Question: How do you feel as end of the fact-finding team's
\ninvestigation draw to an end?<\/p>\n
Answer: There is no use in extending its term as requested by
\nthe House of Representatives -- as we expected the members have
\nfaced stumbling blocks along the way. A prolonged investigation
\nmight lead people to think that if the team fails (to uncover the
\ntruth behind Munir's murder) then it was its fault; that the
\ngovernment has done enough by showing its political will in
\nforming the team, while it should actually be the police who do
\nthe real investigative work. If not, then the team would only be
\na tool for the government to wash its hands of the case.<\/p>\n
The President should be going after the investigators who are
\nbarely moving; (to push them to discover) who is the next suspect
\nafter the lower-level one (pilot Pollycarpus B. Priyanto) was
\nnamed. The President should know that the National Police and the
\nstate intelligence body (BIN) are ignoring him -- although they
\nagreed in front of him to help the fact-finding team and share
\nany requested information, they have made the job of the team
\ndifficult.<\/p>\n
This is my question: Why, despite the green light from the
\nPresident assuring their cooperation, are things getting slower.
\nThe fact-finding team has made several recommendations on what
\nthe police should investigate (like the several telephone calls
\nbetween Pollycarpus and a senior BIN official). Is (the lack of
\nfurther investigation) because the police must face their own
\nseniors in BIN?<\/p>\n
Could you share your plans with us about what you will do when
\nyou go to the United States?<\/p>\n
I've been invited by the Carter Center (in Atlanta) to talk
\nabout human rights defenders, and Munir was one of them who we
\nbelieve was eliminated because of his thoughts and actions. It is
\nvery important to share the Munir case, to show that something
\nlike this can still happen amid the country's efforts to
\ndemocratize; the direct elections and a directly elected
\npresident. The case should be resolved; otherwise, what's the
\npoint of the President meeting all his subordinates to urge their
\ncooperation, is it just for show?<\/p>\n
In Austria I've been invited to the annual meeting of
\nrecipients of the Right Livelihood Award (Munir was one of them),
\nwhere I will urge each attendant to raise the case with their
\nrespective governments, which in turn would also ask President
\nSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono about the progress of the case, in which
\nindications pointing at the BIN's implication are becoming clear.<\/p>\n
Several other cases remain unresolved over the years from the
\ndeaths of dissenters in Lampung, to the May 1998 riots. How could
\nwe expect Munir's case to be any different?<\/p>\n
From the murder (in 1993) of (labor rights activist) Marsinah
\nto the May riots, Munir was at the center of investigations into
\nall these (cases). If his case in all its complexity can be
\nrevealed there could be some light shed on the others. The family
\nof (former justice) Baharuddin Lopa (who died in suspicious
\ncircumstances when disembarking from a plane in Saudi Arabia in
\n2001) said they would request an autopsy of Lopa if Munir's case
\nwas resolved.<\/p>\n
Don't you fear for your own safety in pursuing this case? You
\nsaid you were recently terrorized through a letter threatening
\nthat you would be killed.<\/p>\n
Where in Indonesia can anyone be safe? We can be hurt anywhere
\nand by any means without the state protecting us at all (the
\ncountry still lacks a witness protection program among other
\nsafeguards). This is the crucial momentum to pursue Munir's case;
\nstaying silent is tantamount to accepting and even condoning such
\nactions.<\/p>\n
But the layman may want the government to focus on the economy
\nso he can feed his family and get a decent job rather than
\nprioritizing past human rights violations. Your comment?<\/p>\n
As a victim I hope the government continues to prioritize
\nhuman rights. If you forcibly took the land of a farmer, that
\nwould also be against his right to livelihood. Human rights isn't
\nsomething from the West, it is attached to every individual. I
\ncan't express much about these things but surely a nation which
\nwants to progress should be one which respects the rights of its
\ncitizens.<\/p>\n
What are your plans for the future?<\/p>\n
To have this case thoroughly resolved and to seek justice for
\nour family, so that the mastermind (behind the murder) is
\nrevealed and punished. I don't ask for much. Meanwhile, I'm
\ntrying to rebuild a life with the children (son Alif, 6, and
\ndaughter Difa, 3). Alif understands that he will not see his
\nfather again. He read the messages of condolence on all the
\nwreaths that came to our house. But Difa sometimes asks, \"where
\nis Abah (father)?\", like when we went out recently with Munir's
\ncolleagues. I was taken aback, I just said he was working.<\/p>",
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