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Families of May 1998 victims place high hope in Jokowi
Showing further signs of advanced age, Dionesius Utomo Rahardjo, 69, and his wife Genoveva Misiati, 66, are no longer as outspoken as they were 16 years ago, when they set out to search for information on the whereabouts of their son, Petrus Bimo Anugerah
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howing further signs of advanced age, Dionesius Utomo Rahardjo, 69, and his wife Genoveva Misiati, 66, are no longer as outspoken as they were 16 years ago, when they set out to search for information on the whereabouts of their son, Petrus Bimo Anugerah.
Despite the health problems now wracking them, especially Misiati, who has developed a heart condition in the last few years, their attempts to find the whereabouts of their second child have never ceased.
Domiciled on Jl. R.Tumenggung Soeryo, Bunulrejo subdistrict, Blimbing district, Malang, the former employees of the Central Psychiatric Hospital in Lawang, East Java, remain convinced that their child is still alive.
Driven by parental instinct, neither have ever accepted that their son Petrus Bimo, born in Malang on Sept. 24, 1973, is dead.
'We are sure Petrus Bimo is alive. It's our belief. He's my son and my instincts tell me that Petrus Bimo is still alive somewhere,' Utomo Rahardjo told The Jakarta Post at his residence recently.
Even after 16 years, while sitting in the living room of the house, Misiati could still tearfully recall the moment she last saw Petrus Bimo, when her son said goodbye and asked for her consent to go to Jakarta.
The student of Jakarta's Driyakarya Philosophy College was leaving for the capital with the intention of helping free fellow activists of the Democratic People's Party (PRD), who had been detained by security personnel.
'You'll be slamming into a concrete wall, Nak (son),' said Misiati, repeating her own words when seeing off Petrus Bimo to Jakarta.
With the impending change in government around the corner, Utomo and Misiati see a glimmer of hope to get just a vague idea of the whereabouts of their child.
'I'm not expecting too much from the future president, but if Jokowi emerges as president, there will be a bigger chance than that offered by Prabowo or Aburizal Bakrie as head of state,' revealed Utomo.
The man born in Blitar, East Java, is confident that with Jokowi as president, there will be hope for the 13 families of abducted victims in the May 1998 tragedy to find some clues. Conversely, he believes with Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Wiranto or Prabowo as president, the chance is remote.
Utomo said that Jokowi had never pledged to settle the case, but felt that figures such as Jokowi would still be more open to dialogue on the issue compared to previous leaders.
'Being ready to talk and having heart is important. No promise has been made by Jokowi, but he raises hope within my family. Hopefully with a new government, a new president, we'll again be drawn to the 16-year-old struggle,' said Utomo while taking a deep breath.
The father of four and his wife feel a great deal of disappointment. During Yudhoyono's two terms in office, nothing was done despite their frequent orations in front of the State Palace in Jakarta.
In his view, the President lacks courage and heart because at the time of the abductions, he was within the government circle, making him reluctant to unmask peers alleged to have been directly or indirectly involved in the abductions.
'I have no particular interest in Jokowi. I just see Jokowi as the type of man who may be willing to listen. But I don't expect too much either. I merely hold a lot more hope with him compared to that offered by the other aspirants,' indicated Utomo.
