JP/7/Munir

JP/7/Munir

Munir's death: Foul play must be probed

H.S. Dillon,
Jakarta

The forensic results recently released by the Dutch
authorities have served to confirm a nagging suspicion. The
large traces of arsenic found in his organs have led the
Indonesian police to launch a criminal investigation into the
exact circumstances under which such a high dosage found its way
into Munir.

It is well-established that small traces of arsenic are found
around us, counterbalanced by the fact that our defense
mechanisms have the capability to handle such minute dosages.
Rumor has it that Napoleon was murdered by systematically lacing
his food with arsenic over an extended period. As arsenic is
odorless and only has a very slight acidic taste, Napoleon must
have attributed it to the cooking style of his chef on the isle
of Elba. Such gradual accumulation overcomes our defense
mechanisms and often as not causes renal failure.

However there is a stark difference in the case of Munir.
When we were having a farewell lunch at the Imparsial office on
the previous Friday before his death, I introduced Munir to my
wife, a physician who had come to pick me up. It so happened that
they were scheduled to be on the same Monday evening flight on
the Singapore-Amsterdam leg.

Witness accounts indicate that Munir had gastrointestinal
problems soon upon boarding and that the crew had apparently
seated Munir next to a physician in the business class for closer
observation. Since there was no inquiry over the public address
system as to whether there was a doctor on board, my wife had no
knowledge of what Munir was going through. Upon inquiry after the
tragic news broke out, she told me that she had seen him at a
distance when boarding at Changi.

She vividly remembers noticing that he looked pale, although
she was unable to reach him due to the full flight. As he expired
in mid-flight undetected, one does not have to be a conspiracy
theorist to conclude that he must have ingested a large amount of
arsenic. However, to lay people symptoms of arsenic poisoning
would appear at first blush to be a simple case of cardiac
failure.

Having resolved the cause -- likely poisoning -- we now turn
to the motive. Who would want to kill Munir? Who would stand to
benefit from terminating a young, fearless activist speaking on
behalf of the faceless and the silenced? An Indonesian fighting
incessantly to raise the dignity of his people?

Why would they choose this moment, when he was going to be
away anyway? Who would fear Cak Munir attacking them from beyond
their reach? Are they connected to those who physically attacked
his KONTRAS office? At this stage it would be easy to succumb to
speculation. Whoever it could be, it is a well-established fact
that Munir abhorred violence by all; whether they be attired in
official uniform or religious garb.

This assassination of Munir is not just an ordinary crime; it
is a crime against all defenders of the oppressed -- a crime
against humanity.

That the Dutch authorities opted to send the autopsy through
official channels can easily be understood, what is not so easy
to comprehend is our officials' motives in leaking this
information to the press prior to informing Munir's next of kin.
This is a faux pas the government should swiftly make amends for.

They should immediately hand the full report of the autopsy
over to Suciwati, Munir's wife, to allow her to share it with the
public. Then all of us would know what the full findings are and
as a nation know how to proceed.

The desire to dispatch a team of forensic experts to the
Netherlands for an investigation is farcical; reminiscent of
parliamentary junkets. We maintain a large embassy there and if
anything remains unclear, they should set up a video-conference
with the Dutch doctors who conducted the autopsy in Holland.

I am sure that our embassy in The Hague, in cooperation with
the Dutch Embassy in Jakarta, would be happy to facilitate such
an interchange. It would be a positive demonstration of good
governance if human rights activists and press were allowed to
participate.

Stranger still are the acts of officials who raise questions
as to the authenticity of the report; I would tell them -- please
erase all thoughts of flying to Europe on the pretext of
personally securing a "certified" document.

"This murder most foul, as in the best it is" (Hamlet, Act 1,
scene V), comprises a serious threat to our fledgling democracy.
An independent commission of inquiry should immediately be
established with credible representatives from both government
and civil society. The onus to disprove that something is rotten
in the state of Indonesia rests squarely on the shoulders of the
authorities.

It is clear that the leadership of the new administration is
being put to the test. Being a champion of governance reform, the
President should move with resolve and conviction. We, with whom
Munir walked a part of his short life, will not rest until the
perpetrators of this heinous crime are brought to justice.

The author is a human rights activist, and currently serves as
the executive director of the Partnership for Governance Reform
in Indonesia