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Editorial: Namru-2 for who
Mon, 04/28/2008 11:42 AM | Opinion
Approaching election year, it's guessing time again on who exactly is speaking for the public good. One day it's fuel subsidies, the next it's rice, and yet another day we were made to wonder whether indeed a 40-year-old U.S. laboratory should be closed down in our national interest.
A tempest rose in the past weeks over a Central Jakarta-based biomedical laboratory, Naval Medical Research Unit No. 2 (Namru-2), listed on the U.S. Embassy's home page as one of its several foreign service posts in Indonesia, and one of four representative institutions of the U.S. military here.
The lab, with its American and Indonesian researchers, has been accused of engaging in intelligence operations after a quiet existence for decades in a densely populated part of the city.
Avian influenza was the trigger for the controversy, as over the past year bird flu samples were sent to the lab, situated in the compound of the national health institutes under the Health Ministry. The laboratory provided a short-cut in the otherwise long process of confirming suspected cases of bird flu, which has taken 107 lives across the country. Earlier, samples had to be sent to the facility of the World Health Organization in Hong Kong.
Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari eventually gained a reputation of being the Cabinet's nationalist, refusing to continue sharing samples despite a global consensus to the contrary.
She even published a book in which she famously suggested the United States might be deliberately spreading viruses in Indonesia, hinting the Namru could be involved in this.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said this was a "nutty idea", but not long after that other Indonesian officials chimed in, echoing the health minister. The latest development has seen a continued impasse in the negotiations of a renewed memorandum of understanding which would be the basis of the Namru's continued existence in the country.
Was Minister Fadilah eying the election year, if not for herself then for her National Mandate Party and its founder Amien Rais, famed for his "national interest" statements?
But then the Foreign Ministry also stepped in, dismissing requests that all Namru staff enjoy diplomatic immunity. It said that such immunity does not extend to researchers even though they are part of the foreign service.
How to break the impasse?
As pointed out by U.S. health secretary Michael Leavitt, it is Indonesians who stand to benefit from the facility and the expertise of the Namru researchers.
Initially set up in 1970 to study potential illnesses affecting U.S. military personnel in tropical countries, officials say Namru now has a widened mission in collaboration with Indonesia. Shared research interests include malaria, emerging infectious diseases and viral diseases including dengue fever.
The embassy denies its laboratory staff engage in any intelligence activities, and maintains that Namru is transparent and that guests are welcome.
If it is obvious that we need each other, then the hopes are on the shoulders of those involved in negotiations over the new MoU to replace one that expired in 2005.
Rhetoric on both sides merely heats up the war of words, while a verbal war doesn't hurt the interests of candidates on the campaign trail to 2009.
A new MoU would need to break down conditions such as transparency and access to laboratory research results. Negotiators seeking the best for Indonesian interests would also want to ensure transfer of technology, as claimed by the U.S.
Namru-2, we are told, was set up initially "at the invitation of Indonesian ministry of health officials".
When our guests engage in spy games, surely the welcome mat must be withdrawn. Otherwise, the average citizen is grateful to anyone who can help us deal with all these diseases plaguing what we thought had become a modern nation.
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American Scientist (not verified) — Wed, 04/30/2008 - 3:47am
I am speaking as a scientist that has been invited by the Indonesian Health Ministry and NAMRU-2 to visit the facility and speak about tuberculosis previously. I have visited the facility and other medical health facilities throughout Indonesia.
It is extremely surprising to me that anyone could argue that a group of scientists would have the time or the desire to do anything other than science. Everyone at the facility that I met was engaged in work related to improving health in Indonesia and throughout Asia. Work was being done to develop new ways to prevent tuberculosis, malaria and water-borne infections that kill many people in Indonesia. None of the scientists that I know have time to do anything other than science, working night and day to help people that are be dieing from diseases.
Fine, if the people of Indonesia don't want collaboration or help with health problems that kill children and adults throughout Indonesia and the world, then I say it is less trouble to go somewhere else. There are many countries in Asia that would be happy... no, PROUD, to have a NAMRU located in their country. There are other NAMRUs (this is where the -2 comes from in the NAMRU-2, there is a -1) in other countries and there can be another one somewhere else. If the help is not appreciated, take it elsewhere. It does seem to be a shame that political GAMES could result in the loss of such an important health facility in such a beautiful country though. Obviously, it is your choice Indonesia, what do the people say?
Do the people wish to look at the history?... many years of working on flu, malaria, tuberculosis and other diseases to help Indonesia or some ridiculous allegations that something else is going on in a laboratory that clearly conducts research to improve health.
What are the motivations of the politicians making these ridiculous allegations? I wish I could understanding it, but I can't. To me saving children is more important than anything else. With that, I will get back to my work to try to save children with tuberculosis, a disease that infects nearly one-third of the world's population. Maybe it is just a little more important than some political games. Good luck with this and I truly hope that the Indonesian people can see the light through all the smoke that has been put up by a few misguided politicians.
Im just a Students (not verified) — Mon, 04/28/2008 - 9:16pm
I think The Goverment of Indonesian must try to implements their rules to NAMRU if They want still keep their cooperation with Indonesian in Health sectors. We dont need to be a guest in our Country, but we must try to give the best service to our guests. How to do it?? Try to make a deal, but make a reasonable deal. Reasonable??? yapZ, the deal its a must with a reason to improve cooperation in health sectors without neglect the main goals from the agreement to improve health sectors which is "to shelters" more people necessity. And then i hope the media give the objective (concerning the real situation) opinion not discredit opinion about NAMRU. i saw that NAMRU as the conception of media, without tried to got the real information from the NAMRU first. Because im so dissapointed with the news about NAMRU, as though NAMRU was a SPY. How can they "which means NAMRU" could work in good condition if they always get pressures from others. We need to looking what kind of advantages that this cooperation have been made.... the conclusion is Indonesian goverments must do harder to implements their rules to NAMRU without neglect the main core of cooperations aim. And make the meeting between to party, so they could combine their wish as a good deals. and we can live without any doubt to others.