Speculation on new police chief intensifies<\/p>\n
Abdul Khalik, Jakarta<\/p>\n
When Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) took power as the sixth
\nIndonesian president in October last year, many believed that
\nGen. Da'i Bachtiar, the national police chief, would be the first
\nCabinet member to be removed from his post. The reason for this
\nwas not so much Da'i's poor performance but rather the clear
\nimpression that the four-star general leaned heavily toward
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri during the presidential election campaign.<\/p>\n
The May 28 Tentena bombings that killed at least 20 people
\nare, however, certain to hurt his image and weaken his chances of
\nholding on to his job as the public will be reminded that he has
\nbeen notably unsuccessful in preventing bomb attacks, and that
\nsince the Bali bombings in 2002, the police have failed to
\ncapture the two alleged masterminds behind the bombings,
\nMalaysians Azahari bin Husin and Noordin Moh Top, who police say
\nwere behind most of the mayor bombing outrages in the country,
\nincluding Tentena.<\/p>\n
The statement by People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker
\nHidayat Nur Wahid -- who was later quoted by SBY -- to the effect
\nthat the government should now evaluate the police's performance
\nappeared to be more or less squarely at Da'i.<\/p>\n
Megawati appointed him to the position shortly after she
\nreplaced president Abdurahman Wahid in July 2001. Da'i was less
\ncontroversial than his two predecessors and as a former police
\nspokesman he is well versed in dealing with the media.<\/p>\n
President Susilo set a three-month deadline for Da'i to arrest
\nthe fugitives Dr. Azahari and Nurdin Top, who have been linked to
\nat least three major terrorists attack, the Bali tragedy that
\nkilled about 200 people in 2002, the JW Marriot attack in 2003,
\nand the Australian Embassy attack in 2004.<\/p>\n
Despite speculation that Da'i would be replaced on the eve of
\nthe President's announcement of his Cabinet, seven months later
\nthere is no sign that the general will be removed from his
\nstrategic post.<\/p>\n
To convince SBY and the public that he is still the best
\noption available, Da'i, who graduated from the police academy in
\n1972, has tried hard to boost his image by cracking down on drugs
\nand street crime, while underlining what he says are his
\nsuccesses in dealing with terrorist crimes.<\/p>\n
Appointing his close aide, Insp. Gen. Firman Gani, from East
\nJava Police chief to Jakarta Police chief while promoting Makbul
\nPadmanagara to a three-star general, both in 2004, may be seen as
\nan attempt to strengthen his internal support in the police.<\/p>\n
Many say that if Da'i was forced to step down, he would fight
\nto ensure that his closest aide, Comr. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara, a
\nformer Jakarta Police chief, would replace him.<\/p>\n
Makbul, 50, now a three-star general with no specific posting
\nin headquarters after several months serving as National
\nNarcotics Agency chief before being replaced by Comr. Gen.
\nSutanto earlier this year, has a mixed reputation.<\/p>\n
During his period as Jakarta Police chief, the capital was hit
\nby a number of bombings, including the 2003 JW Marriott bombing
\nthat killed 12 people. However, during his term the police also
\nmanaged to introduce several successful programs, such as the
\ninstalling of seatbelts in private cars and taxi, the
\nestablishment of subdistrict police stations, and policing the
\nbusway operation.<\/p>\n
Many have criticized him for not reducing the amount of
\ngambling in the capital as during his period as the city police
\nchief, numbers rackets and illegal lotteries (togel) spread down
\nto the neighborhood level with no clear police response.<\/p>\n
All in all, Makbul is seen by the public as Da'i's handpicked
\nsuccessor, and, to some extent, this could serve to weaken his
\nchances of succeeding Da'i if SBY finds it necessary to eliminate
\nDa'i's influence in the police once and for all.<\/p>\n
From the beginning, many people sensed that Sutanto, who
\ngraduated from the police academy in 1973, the same year as SBY
\ngraduated from military academy, is SBY's personal choice for
\nnational police chief.<\/p>\n
Sutanto's quick promotion from two-star general to three-star
\ngeneral while being appointed chief of the prestigious National
\nNarcotics Agency from being an unknown officer training unit
\nchief only a few months after SBY took power, strengthened the
\nassumption that he would be quickly appointed chief of police.<\/p>\n
Officers at National Police Headquarters have said that
\npromoting Sutanto would be \"complicated\" as he has a track record
\nof taking tough action against gambling, while the gambling
\nbosses have a huge influence with many senior officials inside
\nboth the police and government.<\/p>\n
When Sutanto was the North Sumatra Police chief and then East
\nJava Police chief, he arrested many gambling bosses in both
\nprovinces, and made gambling bosses in other provinces tremble.<\/p>\n
If Makbul is seen as being \"too Da'i\" and Sutanto as too
\ntough, and if seniority and a compromises are sought, then the
\ncurrent deputy national police chief, Comr. Gen. Adang Dorojatun,
\nwho enjoys seniority over Da'i in that he graduated from the
\npolice academy in 1971, would be an obvious choice for the job.<\/p>\n
There is, however, little of note about the low profile Adang
\nexcept that he was the former West Java Police chief and National
\nPolice security and order chief before being promoted to deputy
\nchief in 2004.<\/p>\n
So who will be the successor to Da'i? The choice lies in the
\nhands of the President, although the House of Representatives'
\nofficial approval is needed.<\/p>\n
The writer is a journalist with The Jakarta Post.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/speculation-on-new-police-chief-intensifies-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }