Prominent social activist Fakih dies
Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta
One of the country's most prominent social activists, Mansour Fakih, died about midnight on Sunday at Yogyakarta's Bethesda Hospital after 10 days in a coma. He was 51.
His elder brother, Ainur Rokhim, said Fakih was admitted to the hospital on Feb. 6 for a medical checkup. He then lost consciousness, remaining in a coma until he died. Doctors said he had suffered a stroke and internal bleeding in the brain.
Ainur said Fakih had a stroke for the first time in 1998, and it caused a decrease in his bodily functions.
"He had shown no signs of sickness before, complaining only of difficulty speaking. He even visited our home town in East Java and celebrated Idul Adha (Islamic Holiday of Sacrifice) there," Ainur said.
Fakih's remains were buried in a cemetery near his home in the Yogyakarta village of Banjarsari on Monday.
Among his friends who sent flower wreaths of condolence were government critic George Junus Aditjondro, Lies Soegondo, of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), and non- governmental organization (NGO) activist Francis Wahono. Former president Abdurrahman Wahid and poet Emha Ainun Najib reportedly visited Fakih while he was in intensive care.
Born in the East Java town of Bojonegoro on Oct. 10, 1953, Fakih married Nena Lam'anah, his schoolmate, while studying at the state Institute of Islamic Studies (IAIN) in Jakarta.
Fakih is well-known among activists in social movements both in Indonesia and abroad and has had many roles in various institutions.
A chair of the Komnas HAM counseling division, Fakih was also one of two Indonesian representatives to the Helsinki Process, an international forum initiated by Finland, southern hemisphere countries and global NGOs to seek solutions to problems resulting from globalization.
His colleagues remember him as a consistent, spirited, humble, generous, and humorous person.
Fakih obtained his masters degree in pedagogy at the University of Massachusetts in 1990, with his thesis titled "Participatory Research on Economic Development: A Source Book for Practitioners". He completed his doctorate degree four years later at the same university with a dissertation titled "The Role of Non-Governmental Organizations in Social Transformation: A Participatory Inquiry in Indonesia".
Actively involved as a educator and a facilitator who trained many activists, Fakih helped Indonesian NGOs promote gender equality and human rights. He wrote numerous publications on those topics.
In 1994, together with his colleagues Zumrotin K. Susilo, Wardah Hafidz and Abdul Hakim Garuda Nusantara, he established the Resources Management and Development Consultants (Remdec) in Jakarta, a group that assisted NGOs and other mass organizations.
Three years later, Fakih set up the Institute for Social Transformation (Insist) in Yogyakarta, dubbed Indonesia's school of social activism.
He is survived by his wife, Nena, and two sons -- Farabi Fakih, 22, and Fariz Fakih, 19.