Munir's final service to Indonesia

Munir's final service to Indonesia

Patrick Guntensperger, Jakarta

Never before in Indonesia's long history has a leader's
mandate come at so pivotal a time. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was
handed the keys to the kingdom at a time when this fledgling
democracy, the home to one quarter of a billion people, the
fourth largest national population on earth, can either become a
shining example of modern statehood or it can slide back into a
morass of corruption, authoritarianism and Third World poverty.
The future of what could be the greatest success story of
Southeast Asia lies in the hands of Susilo.

Susilo has already warned us not to expect too much in the
first hundred days of his mandate. That warning made those who
hesitated to put their future in his hands somewhat nervous.
While the observation that there is much to do and the first few
months of Susilo's presidency must be devoted to consolidating
power and analyzing problems is reasonable, one can't help but
remark cynically that before the elections he demonstrated a
greater sense of urgency about his mission. However, let us
assume that Susilo is on track and on target to accomplish the
great things we expect of him.

The best possible indication that Susilo sees his mandate as
one of change and a rejection of the old Indonesian politics of
cronyism, corruption and militarism would be if he got solidly
behind a major effort to investigate, capture and prosecute the
murderers of human rights activist Munir.

That Munir's cowardly assassination by poison on a flight to
Amsterdam was appalling should go without saying. That his widow
has been threatened and warned to avoid connecting his death to
the Indonesian military is inexcusable. The arrogance and
personal cruelty of that act is unspeakable.

There were a great number of believers in democracy who had
concerns about Susilo's military background. While he appealed to
many reformists, he was a retired general and that caused many to
question whether he would be able or inclined to take the helm of
the government and separate the power of the military from that
of the civil authorities. Could Susilo maintain relations with
the military and at the same time curb its power? Many had
misgivings. The country decided to believe that it was possible
and Susilo got his mandate.

If Susilo wants to prove himself worthy of the people's trust
and at the same time make great strides in the direction of
democratization of this country, he needs to see that Munir's
murder is thoroughly investigated regardless of the connections
his death might have to the military. If Susilo's commitment to
the fight against corruption is to be believed, he needs to have
the people of Indonesia see Munir's murderers brought to justice.
If, as seems possible, there is a cadre within the military that
is responsible for his death, they must be exposed, arrested and
charged with murder as well as with the subsequent cover up and
with abuse of their authority and power. If this is done openly
and transparently, those who had misgivings about Susilo would
have their concerns laid to rest.

This investigation and the arrests that would inevitably
follow would do far more to further the fight against corruption
than Susilo's once-a-month cabinet meeting on the subject.
Turning over a few rocks in the military would both serve notice
that, finally, a genuinely democratic government had been
empowered and that the military is the country's servant, not its
master.

Susilo is justifiably proud of his military background. He
served his country with distinction and is a highly respected
retired soldier. As a retired soldier, we want to know whether
his loyalties are to the military or to the country first. As the
country's president, that question is even more pressing. Surely
as a proud former member of Indonesia's armed forces, he would
want to see a pristine and accountable military. Surely he would
want to eliminate rogue elements within the military that would
murder civilians and then intimidate his widow with a grotesque
threat. Surely he, like us, would like to prove that this is
nothing more than a small group of fanatics within the military
structure and not representative of the entire edifice. Surely,
if no one in the military had anything to do with this
assassination, he would want to see its exoneration.

Now is the time for Susilo to prove openly and clearly that he
will not be intimidated by the entrenched power of Indonesia's
military. Now is the time for him to use his military background
as tool to bring the military into the democratization process.
Perhaps Munir's death will give Susilo an opportunity to prove to
the citizens of Indonesia that he is not politically cowed by the
military machine that has for so long been a law unto itself in
this country.

Perhaps Munir, in death, can do one final service for the
greater good of his beloved country. Perhaps this will be his
chance to see Susilo demonstrate that he has the makings of a
courageous leader and prove that he is a man of integrity. If
that happens, Indonesia is well on the road to success and with
continued inspired leadership, greatness.

The writer, social and political commentator, can be reached
at ttpguntensperger@hotmail.com