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)