A breach of public trust<\/p>\n
We do not doubt the good intentions of our National Police
\nChief, Gen. Da'i Bachtiar in taking the former Banyumas chief of
\npolice, Sr. Comr. Andi Mapparesa, to task over his breach of
\npublic trust for allegedly drumming up support for Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri in her reelection bid.<\/p>\n
Gen. Da'i has stated that Mapparesa will be made to answer for
\nhis actions to a disciplinary commission in Jakarta, next week.
\nThe question, however, is whether at this stage of the public
\ndebate, will such an assurance be enough to quell the growing
\npublic outrage over the incident, which was revealed to the
\npublic late last month by the Association of University of
\nIndonesia Alumni (Iluni).<\/p>\n
As may be recalled, Iluni, in a news conference staged with
\nall the proper dramatic trappings in Jakarta on July 25,
\npresented convincing evidence of this case of police infraction
\nof the election laws in the form of a video showing Mapparesa in
\nthe act of explaining to police veterans' families why it would
\nbe good for the police to have President Megawati reelected. To
\nmake things worse, the footage also showed officers handing out
\nenvelopes, presumably containing money, to those attending the
\nmeeting.<\/p>\n
Although officers at the national police headquarters have
\ntried to play down the incident, there can be no doubt that
\nMapparesa's act, if proved correct and reported in the proper
\ncontext and perspective by the media, constitutes a serious
\nviolation of the country's laws. A decree, issued in 2000 by the
\nPeople's Consultative Assembly, the highest legislative body in
\nthe country, explicitly states that the national police must
\nmaintain a neutral stance in politics and forbids members of the
\nforce from engaging in day-to-day politics. Furthermore, the
\ndecree dictates that police officers in active service must
\nforfeit their right to vote and be elected. The same principles
\nare contained in Law No.2\/2002. Even more fundamentally, however,
\nMapparesa's act runs against both the letter and the spirit of
\nthe Constitution, which guarantees free and fair elections.<\/p>\n
Interestingly, the Megawati camp has thus far kept silent over
\nthe incident and have thereby effectively distanced themselves
\nfrom the whole incident. However, even a cursory glance at the
\nfacts is enough to convince any observer that a solid police
\nforce backing in a general election is nothing to be sniffed at.
\nIn 2000, shortly after the wave of reforms uncoupled it from the
\nmilitary, the Indonesian national police counted roughly 230,000
\nmen and women. Since then, it has steadily grown and was planned
\nto reach more than 360,000 men and women this year. Add to that
\nnumber all the officers' wives and family members, all the
\nveterans and veterans' wives, and the political value of a solid
\npolice corps backing in a general or presidential election will
\nstand out for anyone to see.<\/p>\n
The crux of the problem, of course, is that the national
\npolice force is directly subordinate to the President, and hence
\nit is almost naturally inclined to back the incumbent President,
\nits superior. Furthermore, a return to the old days under
\nSoeharto, when the national police was in essence no more than a
\nless-than-full-fledged extension of the military, is viewed with
\ndistaste by the national police. So far, the national police
\nheadquarters has appeared to seek to contain the Banyumas
\nincident by maintaining that Mapparesa's videotaped act was a
\nmere \"internal\" police occurrence that did not affect the force
\nas a whole. Indeed, Gen. Da'i has publicly reaffirmed the
\nneutrality of his corps in matters of politics.<\/p>\n
Obviously Gen. Da'i's reassurance, and his determination to
\ncall officer Mapparesa to account before a disciplinary
\ncommission next week, comes as a relief to many Indonesians.
\nStill, given the militaristic structure -- if one can be forgiven
\nthe phrase -- of the police's organizational setup, many
\nIndonesians find it difficult to accept that the Banyumas was an
\nisolated case, unrelated to the police corps as a whole. For that
\nreason, a feeling prevails among Indonesians that responsibility
\nfor the Banyumas, incident must be shared by officers at the top.
\nIf so, we fear that nothing less than the voluntary resignation
\nof Gen. Da'i Bachtiar from his position as chief of the National
\nPolice, or his replacement by the President, will be able to ease
\nthe suspicions of police bias in the current elections.
\nAdmittedly, much is at stake for the National Police and for Gen.
\nDa'i. But then, the same is true for democracy and for the nation
\nas a whole.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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