Da'i ready to confront critics<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Sole police chief nominee Commissioner General Da'i Bachtiar says
\nthat the corruption allegations brought against him are unfounded
\nand that he is ready to confront his critics to set the record
\nstraight.<\/p>\n
\"I am ready to confront those who doubt my personal integrity
\nand credibility,\" Da'i told The Jakarta Post in an interview here
\non Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\"All the bribery and corruption allegations brought against me
\nare unsubstantiated,\" he asserted.<\/p>\n
He said that those who opposed his nomination as the new
\npolice chief should check his record with National Police
\nheadquarters before making any allegations.<\/p>\n
Da'i's critics have expressed strong objections to President
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri's decision to nominate him as the new
\npolice chief replacing incumbent Comr. Gen. Surojo Bimantoro, who
\nis due to retire in November.<\/p>\n
His critics have alleged that Da'i took bribes totaling Rp 4
\nbillion in 1997 from the owners of troubled banks which he
\ninvestigated for violating the 20 percent legal lending limit and
\nmisusing liquidity supports from Bank Indonesia, the central
\nbank.<\/p>\n
His opponents also hold him accountable for the killing of
\nfive people in Bondonwoso in 2000, when local residents burned
\ndown a local police station.<\/p>\n
The incident started when police released a murder suspect due
\nto lack of evidence. Local residents staged a violent rally and
\nset the Bondowoso police station ablaze. In their desperate
\nefforts to disperse the angry mob, the police opened fire on the
\nprotesters, killing at least five people and injuring several
\nothers.<\/p>\n
\"It was surprising to see what happened in the field. I have
\nto admit at that time I was also surprised because my officers
\nmoved too fast without thinking first.\"<\/p>\n
\"I dismissed the Bondowoso Police chief (Sr. Comr. Marwoto
\nSuto) only a few hours after the incident took place,\" Da'i said.<\/p>\n
He added that what was needed at the time was someone to calm
\ndown the locals in a bid to avoid further unrest.<\/p>\n
When asked to comment on former president Abdurrahman Wahid's
\nremarks on his performance in handling the enraged mob in
\nBondowoso, which is a stronghold of the Nahdlatul Ulama Muslim
\norganization, Da'i only said, \"Complete reports on the incident
\nwere forwarded and none were engineered. That's our duty and we
\nexpect no praise for that.\"<\/p>\n
Da'i was chief of the East Java police in 2000.<\/p>\n
\"I don't want to comment on the allegations because whatever I
\nsay the people will always think that I'm only defending myself,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
\"As a police officer, I have always been guided by
\nprofessionalism. I am not only defending my corps but ultimately
\nI work to serve and protect the public,\" Da'i asserted.<\/p>\n
He said that in 1997 the National Police opened an
\ninvestigation into troubled banks that were suspected of
\nviolating legal lending limits.<\/p>\n
\"The investigation was launched after Bank Indonesia, the
\nAttorney General's Office and the police signed an agreement to
\nprobe the troubled banks that had received liquidity support
\n(BLBI) assistance from the central bank,\" Da'i said.<\/p>\n
In the investigation, police were guided by Law No. 10\/1998 on
\nbanking, Da'i said.<\/p>\n
In 1997, at least 16 banks were investigated for violating
\nlegal lending limits, 12 in 1998, five in 1999, four in 2000, and
\nfrom January to July 2001, another four banks were investigated.<\/p>\n
Of the total 42 banks investigated, 34 cases were completed.<\/p>\n
Da'i admitted that the investigations into the banks were
\nsluggish but that none had been halted until there was an
\ninstruction from the then coordinating minister for the economy,
\nfinance and industry to use other strategies in dealing with the
\nbankers.<\/p>\n
\"After the coordinating meeting, we suspended the
\ninvestigation into several banks as the government decided to
\napproach the bankers to seek the return of the loans,\" Da'i said,
\nadding that it was the National Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA)
\nthat played the major role.<\/p>\n
\"The problem is that the public sometimes do not realize that
\nlaw enforcement doesn't stop with the police. It's still got a
\nlong way to go as there are the prosecutors and the courts
\ninvolved too. What was most important in these banking cases is
\nthat we forwarded all completed investigations to the public
\nprosecutors,\" Da'i remarked.<\/p>\n
After assuming the post as the National Police's chief of
\ndetectives, Da'i was later promoted to become East Java's police
\nchief in 2000.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/dai-ready-to-confront-critics-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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