Munir, a fighter never to be forgotten

Munir, a fighter never to be forgotten

Nur Mursidi, Contributor, Jakarta

Munir: Sebuah Kitab Melawan Lupa

(Munir: A Book of Remembrance)

Jaleswari Pramodhawardani, Andi Widjajanto, eds.

607 pp

Munir's sudden death on Sept. 7, 2004, came as a big blow to many
people. Most of his close friends and acquaintances were shocked
upon hearing the news -- not a single one of them had ever had
even the slightest premonition that Munir, a rather lean and
small human rights fighter, would die young.

The news was all the more shocking, as he died while on a
flight to the Netherlands, where he was to pursue further studies
at Utrecht university. Indeed, he had decided on this course so
he could take a sabbatical from the violence and injustices he
had long been fighting.

Nobody ever had the slightest notion that he would have his
eternal rest, especially because it was known that Munir had
never contracted a life-threatening disease. Suspicion arose
afterwards that he did not die a natural death. A post-mortem of
Munir's body conducted by the Dutch Forensic Institute (NFI)
found 465 milligrams of arsenic in his stomach and 3.1 mg and 4.6
mg of the same substance in his blood and urine, respectively.

The finding confirmed that Munir had been poisoned. Upon
learning of this, many people were angered that the circumstances
of Munir's death was tantamount to murdering human rights and
democracy in the country.

In an effort to ensure that Munir's efforts will not soon fall
into the abyss of forgetfulness, publishing company Mizan has
published a book in memory of this great human rights champion
and in commemoration of the 100th day anniversary of his demise.

Sebuah Kitab Melawan Lupa, or Munir: A Book of Remembrance,
was written by Munir's closest friends, leading community
figures, journalists and lawyers.

Divided into two parts, the first part presents the fond
memory these contributors hold about Munir and his deeds, while
the second part focuses on the struggle and agenda initiated by
Munir -- and which must be continued beyond his death.

As a person, Munir was not particularly remarkable in
appearance or dress, but his individual courage was beyond
belief. He was never afraid to defend factory workers in East
Java who were being unjustly treated.

People will remember how hard he worked when investigating the
case of Marsinah, as Teten Masduki writes in "Kenangan dengan
Munir; Mengenang Tragedi Marsinah" (Remembering Munir: In Memory
of the Marsinah Tragedy).

Munir was not only a courageous activist but he was also
astute and intelligent. Six months after he joined the Malang
branch of the Legal Aid Institute/Foundation of the Indonesian
Legal Aid Institute (LBI/YLBHI), his work drew the attention of
Adnan Buyung Nasution. And soon after he had completed his terms
at the LBH/YLBHI Surabaya and Semarang branches that he was
assigned to the Jakarta head office.

Munir was engaged in ever more activities in Jakarta and also
gained great recognition in this city. He was an indefatigable
worker, so much so that according to Rachland Nashidic, one of
his closest friends, he neglected his own health.

A.A. Sudirman writes that Munir always believed in taking
risks in the interest of furthering nationalism and humanism.
Another friend, Bambang Widjojanto, said Munir was a hard worker
who conducted investigations creatively and with flexibility.

Because of his dedication and tireless commitment, Munir was
later assigned a senior position at LBH/YLBHI, and worked
alongside Bambang.

In the final days of the Soeharto administration, which were
marked by many human rights violations, Munir emerged at the
forefront again with an organization of his own, Kontras, the
Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence.

In addition, he was highly critical of the human rights cases
of Tanjung Priok, East Timor, Aceh and Papua -- needless to say,
all of which are high-profile and dangerous cases -- and he
boldly dared to lash out at the Indonesian Military (TNI) for
their involvement in these cases.

Noted journalist and essayist Goenawan Mohammad describes
Munir as a courageous man who never feared fighting "the
darkness".

Munir's unparalleled work in fighting for human rights and
against violence deserves these acclaims from both home and
abroad.

Ummat, an Islamic magazine, named him Man of the Year 1998 and
Asiaweek (now defunct) included him among its Young Leaders for
the Millennium 2000, the same year he was awarded the Alternative
Nobel Peace Prize.

Analyst Sidney Jones writes that Munir "had everything that a
human rights fighter should possess", and Bambang notes that he
was a "true human rights defender".

Munir was truly one of a kind, says Haidar Bagir, and likens
the late activist to a mirror: "The mirror that was Munir was so
transparent that all the scars on my face was clearly visible."

Undoubtedly, Munir's too-early departure from this world has
brought grief to many -- and many question why the life of this
great man was cut short, how anyone could have murdered him.

Munir was still far from his life's goal, and thus his work
against human rights violations must be preserved, carried on and
developed even further.

It is therefore only proper that the contributors to this book
dwell on the subjects of civilian supremacy, upholding democracy
and enforcing the rule of law, among others,

Kudos to the publisher for producing a book that records
Munir's great deeds, which is reflected in its title. Munir is,
ultimately, a book about a struggle that must be upheld as a
model of great courage against seemingly insurmountable odds.
Munir's courage against gross injustices merits a place in the
annals of Indonesian history.

If one must mention a shortcoming of Munir, it is the absence
of Munir's biography, without which his intellectual development
cannot be mapped out.

It is also a pity that some essays miss the central theme of
the book; in addition, no essay explores Munir's philosophy.
While Munir was better known as an activist, he was also a
prominent thinker who did as he believed.

However, it must be said in all fairness that no book, no
matter how thick a tome, will ever be able to do justice to
Munir, an exemplary and true vanguard of human rights.

The reviewer is a journalist with the Jakarta-based Hidayah
magazine, and is also a short story writer.