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.