Gus Dur asked to open police anniversary event

JAKARTA (JP): Despite the apparent rift between them, National Police chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro said on Friday he would ask President Abdurrahman Wahid to oversee the commencement of the police's 55th anniversary ceremonies on Sunday.

"If the President would like, he will be the one launching the event. Otherwise, it will be the National Police chief," Bimantoro said, referring to himself.

Many predict Sunday's event could prove to be a turning point in the issue of dual leadership issue at the National Police. This issue arose when the President suspended Bimantoro and appointed Comr. Gen. Chaeruddin Ismail as National Police deputy chief.

The event on Sunday will be held at the National Police Bhayankara Field in South Jakarta at 8 a.m.

There has been a growing rift in the National Police since Abdurrahman suspended Bimantoro after he defied a presidential order to resign. The President then appointed Chaeruddin to take over Bimantoro's duties.

The National Police sent a letter to Abdurrahman asking for clarification of a decree he recently issued, which revived the post of the National Police deputy chief.

This dual leadership has also brought to the fore a rivalry between graduating classes of the police academy.

Officers who requested anonymity told The Jakarta Post on Friday that many respected Bimantoro's professionalism and dedication to the corps, however "his subjectivity and partiality toward friends and those close to him are not appreciated by many police generals".

Sources also said that Chaeruddin, a 1971 academy graduate, accepted the deputy chief position because of a rivalry with the academy's class of 1970, which includes Bimantoro.

"For years, 1971 graduates who have shown their mettle on the field and in matters of strategic concepts have had to tolerate unworthy positions, while 1970 graduates get appointed to better positions," one senior officer charged.

But there is also confusion about the validity of the deputy chief post.

National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Didi Widayadi said on Thursday the letter sent to the President requested he elaborate on Presidential Decree No. 77/2001 issued on June 21, which revived the National Police deputy chief post which had been made defunct by an earlier decree.

"When he (Abdurrahman) appointed Comr. Gen. Chaeruddin Ismail as the deputy chief on June 1 this year, that post was actually nonexistent," Didi told the Post.

"National Police secretary-general Comr. Gen. Yun Mulyana is still drawing up the job description of the deputy chief. The position of the National Police deputy chief can only be officially recognized by our police forces when Gen. Bimantoro issues a decree on the matter."

Bimantoro reportedly cut short a minor pilgrimage and returned to the capital on Tuesday afternoon after receiving news of a near clash among his middle-ranking officers.

The incident reportedly began with an argument between two officers over whether Bimantoro or Chaeruddin would lead a police briefing about the official ceremony for the 55th anniversary of the National Police. (ylt)