Woe our police force<\/p>\n
It is now clear that President Abdurrahman Wahid is prepared
\nto do just about anything to cling on to power, even to the point
\nof tearing apart the National Police, the very institution that
\nis expected to maintain some semblance of order in this
\nincreasingly chaotic country. In the latest episode, the
\nPresident ordered National Police chief Gen. Soerojo Bimantoro,
\nwho has defied his earlier order to be \"non-activated\", to
\nsurrender his commander baton and other responsibilities as the
\nnumber one figure in the force.<\/p>\n
All indications suggest that the President will finally win
\nthis battle, which has been going on for more than a month now.
\nThere is a limit to how long and how far Bimantoro can defy the
\nPresident, who, after all, is his boss. Even the House of
\nRepresentatives, which by law must approve the appointment or
\nreplacement of the National Police chief, seems powerless. Since
\nthe House was not consulted when Bimantoro was appointed to the
\npost last year, what chance does it have now to block his
\nremoval?<\/p>\n
Although President Abdurrahman may feel that he has for once
\nsettled the leadership issue of the National Police, the
\ncontroversy has left the force in disarray.<\/p>\n
For the past month, the National Police have virtually had two
\nbosses, Bimantoro and Chaeruddin Ismail, who was appointed deputy
\nchief by President Abdurrahman only this month to take over the
\nleadership baton. The National Police are already in a difficult
\nposition as it is, undergoing massive internal reform while
\nhaving to deal with seemingly endless violent unrest in various
\nparts of the archipelago.<\/p>\n
Even more disturbing however, is the prospect of the National
\nPolice turning into the President's personal tool of power the
\nmoment he takes full control of the force. There is no doubt that
\nhis fixation to remove Bimantoro this past month is part and
\nparcel of his campaign to cling to the presidency.<\/p>\n
His threat to declare a state of emergency if the People's
\nConsultative Assembly (MPR) proceeds with its plan to impeach him
\nwould not be possible without the cooperation of the National
\nPolice. His warning that his supporters would storm the House of
\nRepresentatives building and disrupt the MPR Special Session next
\nmonth would not likely materialize if the police were allowed to
\ndo their job properly and preempt the supporters from coming
\nto Jakarta in the first place.<\/p>\n
The moment the President declares a state of emergency, he
\nneeds the police to enforce the many draconian measures that
\nbecome available at his disposal, including the arrests of
\npolitical opponents, and, God forbid, the imposition of a news
\nblackout.<\/p>\n
Bimantoro has openly refused to go along with the President
\nand is now being made to pay the ultimate price -- his job. The
\ntop military leadership has also put up a united front in
\nrefusing to cooperate. The President too has been campaigning to
\nhave them removed, but he has been less successful.<\/p>\n
Now, President Abdurrahman seems to be making some headway in
\ntaking control over the National Police. Woe to our police
\nofficers, who seem to be having a hard time meeting current
\nchallenges. But most of all, woe to the people in this country,
\nwho must live not only with a police force that is increasingly
\nin disarray, but also with an increasingly authoritarian
\npresident.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/woe-our-police-force-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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