Manimaren buried, mystery remains
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The death of businessman Marimutu Manimaren, who apparently committed suicide by jumping out of s 56th floor window of a hotel on Tuesday, is still shrouded in mystery.
Relatives and friends of Manimaren, who was buried on Wednesday at the Kedung Kandang cemetery in Ciganjur, South Jakarta, were still stunned by the news of the death of the younger brother of Marimutu Sinivasan, the owner of the country's largest textile company, PT Texmaco Jaya Group.
Manimaren's brother, Marimutu Ganesan, said that committing suicide would have been entirely out of character for Manimaren, who was known to be cheerful, strong and resilient.
Ganesan, however, admitted his brother had been under pressure recently due to media reports on the Texmaco group.
Doubts were also raised by Golkar Party deputy secretary Bomer Pasaribu, who said that Manimaren, a Golkar Party deputy treasurer, was not a person who would easily succumb to depression or give up hope.
"The police should conduct a through investigation into Manimaren's death so that no questions would be left lingering over the incident," said Bomer, who once served as manpower minister.
Previously, senior Golkar Party member A.A. Baramuli also cast doubt on the suggestion that Manimaren had committed suicide.
"He was a very dynamic person. I doubt he would do such a thing," said the former South Sulawesi governor after visiting the morgue.
However, Golkar Party chairman Akbar Tandjung urged the public not to question the reasons behind Manimaren's death.
"About the possibility of murder, there is no need for us to engage in such wild speculation. It's all in God almighty's hands. Perhaps, this was His scenario," Akbar was quoted by the Detik.com news portal as saying.
On Wednesday, hundreds of people, mostly Golkar activists and Texmaco employees, paid their last respects at the graveside.
Manimaren's wife and two children, who are living in the United States, did not attend the ceremony.
Manimaren, 46, reportedly committed suicide by jumping from the 56th floor of the Aston Hotel in South Jakarta.
The police, however, will have difficulties in convincing the sceptics as no message from Manimaren was found in his deluxe suite, which costs Rp 950,000 (US$112) per night.
Manimaren chaired three textile companies which appear to have no direct link to Texmaco. The companies are PT Ungaran Sari Garments in Ungaran, Central Java; PT Citra Abadi Sejati and PT Busana Perkasa Garments, both located in Bogor, some 60 kilometers south of Jakarta.
Communications director for PT Texmaco Jaya, Nina Larasati, said that Manimaren did not hold any position in the company.
The Texmaco Group owes some US$29 million to Bank BNI and another Rp 29 trillion ($3.4 billion) to the Indonesia Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA).