Bimantoro's defiance lauded by observers

Bimantoro's defiance lauded by observers

JAKARTA (JP): The refusal of National Police chief Gen. Surojo
Bimantoro to immediately return the command baton and attributes
to President Abdurrahman Wahid following his dismissal has won
support from police observers.

Koesparmono Irsan, a former senior police officer who now
heads the police Bhayangkara University, slammed the issuance of
a number of presidential orders to evict Bimantoro, saying that
it had worsened the conflict within the National Police.

"On the one side, people may say that Bimantoro has been
disobedient, since he has refused a presidential order to return
his baton. On the other, there is a thing such as dignity. This
is what Bimantoro has had to struggle for, and is struggling for
even now," Koesparmono told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

He contended that if the President insisted on dismissing
Bimantoro, he first had to secure approval from the House of
Representatives (DPR).

"Since he has failed to do so, Bimantoro has no obligation to
fulfill the presidential order," Koesparmono said.

Separately, secretary-general of Indonesian Police Watch
(Polwatch) Adnan Pandupradja, suspected that the President's
order had a strong connection with his intention to impose a
state of civil emergency if his political opponents continued
with their move to impeach him.

"The imposition of a state of civil emergency needs support
from the police force. The police should remain neutral in facing
the political situation now developing, and distance themselves
from any political interests," Adnan told the Post.

"For the sake of the nation, I support Pak Bimantoro in
keeping his baton, at least until the special session of the
People's Consultative Assembly is over," said Adnan, who is also
a lecturer in the School of Law at the University of Indonesia.

Meanwhile, top police generals have said that the National
Police were calling for a meeting on Monday of middle-ranking
officials from the City Police and National Police, reportedly to
discuss the issue.

"Let's see what happens. Rumors are turning the entire
National Police crazy. They go as far as to suggest that one
force is going to arrest Bimantoro, for not obliging the
President's order," a top police official told the Post on
Sunday.

In Yogyakarta, legal expert Jimly Asshiddiqie supported
Bimantoro's defiance, stating that Bimantoro could not surrender
the command baton to anybody outside the National Police
organization.

"He (Bimantoro) should wait until a new police chief is
appointed to fill his post. It's true that the National Police is
under the executive's authority, but the President is not part of
the National Police," he told reporters, after speaking in a
seminar at Yogyakarta-based Muhammadiyah University on Saturday.

He praised Bimantoro's tough resistance to the President's
pressure, arguing that the stance taken by Bimantoro was
currently important to preserve the independence of the National
Police from politics.

Jimly reminded the National Police top officers of the
importance of maintaining the organization's unity, despite the
dispute between the President and Bimantoro, saying that disunity
within the National Police could cause the country to be in a
state of social disorder, with a consequent rapid growth in
crime.

He also suggested the government should quickly appoint a new
National Police chief after consulting with the DPR over the
appointment. (tso/44/ylt)