SBY reneges on promise to Munir's widow

Tiarma Siboro and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono spoiled the commemoration of rights defender Munir's birthday on Wednesday by shelving the establishment of an independent team to investigate his death.

"What a (birthday) gift he (Munir) got today! The investigation into his death is facing uncertainty," Munir's widow Suciwati told rights activists gathering at the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) in Central Jakarta.

Munir's fellow rights activists gathered at the foundation to mark what would have been Munir's 39th birthday on Wednesday. Munir died of arsenic poisoning aboard a Garuda flight from Jakarta to Amsterdam on Sept. 7.

Police have spoken with dozens of Garuda employees and passengers on the flight, but have not yet named any suspects.

"I should have stood here today with my husband to celebrate his birthday, but he is not here. He was murdered by people who felt annoyed by his activities," Suciwati said in her speech.

Noted singer Iwan Fals also was at the event and sang a song he wrote and dedicated to Munir.

Presidential spokesman Andi Mallarangeng announced on Wednesday that President Susilo saw no urgency in setting up an independent team to investigate Munir's death.

"The police investigators are moving in the right direction in investigating the unusual death of Munir, and therefore there is no need to set up an independent team for the time being," Andi said.

"We have to give an opportunity to the police to finish the case and for now it is not necessary to set up another team," he said after attending the inauguration of new State Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief Maj. Gen. (ret) Syamsir Siregar.

Susilo had initially backed the establishment of an independent team during a meeting between himself and Suciwati. The president also asked rights activists to submit a draft, defining the structure and the people who would be in charge of the team. Several names, including Syafii Maarif, chairman of the country's second largest Muslim organization, Muhammadyah, have been proposed to sit on the team's monitoring board.

It was after the President held a limited Cabinet meeting late on Tuesday that he went back on his word to Munir's widow and dropped the plan to set up an independent investigation team.

Rights activists from Imparsial, an organization Munir founded and led for several years, questioned Susilo's about-face.

"I guess the President is trying to make it look like this case was not a political assassination, but just an ordinary crime," Impartial director Rachland Nashidik said.

"He (Susilo) gave me an empty promise," Suciwati lamented.