Death Threats and the Cicak vs. Buaya Shenanigans...

It would seem that the current shenanigans between the Cicak (pro-KPK) and the Buaya (pro-police / ago / establishment) is far more serious than many have been believing. The death threats are something that I have been aware of for a while. They are only now becoming publicly known. It is a scary and sad turn of events that planned assassinations are still the preferred method of silencing dissent.

Indonesia has learned nothing from the ongoing debacle that is the investigation into the assassination of Munir Said Thalib or as he is affectionately known by those who knew him, Munir. Or perhaps, the powers that be have in fact learned a thing or two. Specifically, they have learned that under the false promises and weak leadership of the current president that they can in essence murder with impunity. Some might wonder whether this statement is fair on the president, I would encourage you to think about Munir's widow, Suciwati, and children and then rethink what fair is, rethink what justice is, and then rethink whether the promises made by SBY to not only uncover the culprits, but to punish them to the full extent of the law have been fulfilled?

There has been some open speculation that perhaps Chandra M Hamzah has been targeted for assassination. This open speculation includes several law enforcers suggesting that the man has been targeted. This seems to be somewhat extreme for what the police have decided is nothing more than an abuse of power relating to the imposing and later revoking of a travel ban. The thought that there has even been talk of an assassination should be considered indicative of a much bigger "issue" needing to be covered up and buried.

I cannot imagine what Chandra and his family must be feeling knowing that his desire for public service and the desire to see Indonesia develop into a better country puts him at the forefront for political assassination. What is truly bizarre is that the police and others have gone to such lengths to frame Chandra and Bibit, but have come up empty handed on the evidence front.

Very amateurish to say the least but perhaps highlights why there is now talk of death threats and assassinations; if you cannot silence them through trumped up charges then there is always the belief that dead men tell no tales.

Perhaps what is more frightening about this than the threat itself is that the law enforcers were recorded talking about it in the first place. Assassinations that involve law enforcement agencies do not generally take place without an order coming from much higher up the chain of command. It is rare that the foot soldiers tasked with committing the murder hatch the plot themselves. Simply, the foot soldier have the least to gain and the most to lose.

This is the threat played at the Constitutional Court today:

"Kalau Chandra sampai masuk tahanan, biar kita habisi sekalian." Which loosely translated says: "If Chandra is detained, then let's finish him at the same time." This prompted one of his lawyers, Bambang Widjojanto to request that Chandra be released into protective custody for his own safety. However, the reality is that any request of this kind is in vain. The Constitutional Court's powers do not extend to making an order to force the police to release Chandra into protective custody, at least in the opinion of the Chief Justice of the court, Mahfud MD.

Why post? This is serious! A man's life is at stake, and it is my belief that the more people that know about this development, then the less likely it is to happen. At least this is the hope.