House set to approve Da'i as new police chief

House set to approve Da'i as new police chief

Abu Hanifah and Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

If you want to place a bet on who will become the new police
chief, choose Comr. Gen. Da'i Bachtiar. And expect an almost
certain win.

Da'i, the sole candidate that President Megawati Soekarnoputri
has proposed to the House for approval, will face a House panel
on Monday.

After quarreling over which commission had the authority to
question Da'i, legislators from Commission I on security and
Commission II on home affairs have agreed to sit together as a
joint commission.

They have prepared about 110 questions on Da'i's vision about
police and state affairs (each of the 11 factions will be allowed
to ask 10 questions.)

Da'i will replace current police chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro,
who will retire on Nov. 30.

The toughest question will probably concern the fatal shooting
of five demonstrating supporters of then president Abdurrahman
Wahid last year in Bondowoso, East Java, while Da'i was the local
police chief.

Another aspect of his past record that has come under public
scrutiny recently concerns the lack of follow-up to the various
central bank loan cases he was partly responsible for handling
while he was the National Police chief of detectives.

The hearing on Monday will not amount to a fit-and-proper test
as is required for other top state officials, such as the chief
justice. Legislators argue that such a test has already been
carried out by the National Police's senior officers' appraisal
board (Wanjakti).

"Monday's hearing will be a mere formality," said Adrianus
Meliala, an observer from the University of Indonesia.

Adrianus is among those who believe that a fit-and-proper test
by the House is unnecessary as it would only constitute a
"duplication of efforts".

Since Da'i already has Megawati's support, he will most likely
enjoy the backing of the largest faction in the House, the
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan).

He is also expected to receive the support of Golkar, the
second largest faction. Golkar chief Akbar Tanjung previously
said that his party "saw no reason why we should reject Da'i".

A critical assessment is expected to come from the National
Awakening Party (PKB), whose patriarch Abdurrahman Wahid lost
five demonstrating supporters last year at the hands of Da'i's
men.

Chotibul Umam Wiranu, a PKB legislator, said his party would
like to see more than one candidate.

"This (to have more than one candidate) is necessary to remove
the impression that the House is only a rubber stamp for the
government," Chotibul said.

Nur Atar Achmad of the Police Watch organization said that
Monday's hearing would also reveal something of the reasons
behind his nomination.

"I am afraid that vested political interests are behind Da'i's
nomination. I wonder if the legislators have anything up their
sleeves by which they can refute this suspicion," Atar said to
The Jakarta Post.