Mahfud's views on police are his alone, 'not TNI's'

Mahfud's views on police are his alone, 'not TNI's'

JAKARTA (JP): The National Police Headquarters strongly
objected on Monday to defense minister Mahfud MD's statement
concerning the separation of the National Police from the
Indonesian Military (TNI), calling it something that could
"create a lot of problems".

Mahfud claimed that a decree of the People's Consultative
Assembly (MPR) on the separation needed to be reviewed in the
upcoming MPR Annual Session considering that, among other things,
the National Police had a weak intelligence network and that
technically the police were not equipped to deal alone with
chaotic situations within the nation.

"The National Police see the statement by the defense minister
on the MPR decree as his own personal opinion... his own
thoughts," National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Didi Widayadi
told reporters at National Police Headquarters.

"The minister obviously has not studied the reality on the
field. The coordination between TNI personnel and the police
force is really good, and we have been able to work alongside
each other very well, despite what the minister had to say."

In the current case of communal clashes in Sampit, Didi said,
the police were fully aware that TNI security forces were needed
to control the warring Dayaks and Madurese there.

"Today, one battalion of TNI forces from Purworejo (Central
Java) reached Sampit. It's not true that the police cannot
coordinate well with the TNI and instead need to be directed by
the TNI," Didi said.

Mahfud had also said that the National Police were technically
not ready to be separated from the TNI, considering the force's
weak intelligence network.

"Since the separation, the police have been assigned to handle
security within the nation using their intelligence network which
is still weak. Soldiers are idle as a result. Situations then
suddenly occur which get out of hand and become uncontrollable,"
Mahfud was quoted on Thursday by Kompas as saying.

In response, Didi said that the National Police were still in
the process of developing an intelligence network, and were
optimistic about the results.

"The police need to make sure they are never used by any
political power, as a scapegoat. We need to build ourselves up
from the inside," Didi said.

In the case of the last Christmas Eve bombings in which at
least 19 people died, the National Police Headquarters admitted
that police intelligence had only received information that the
bombs would be placed inside churches, not outside.

Despite their constant denial that they have yet to come
across proof of the Army's involvement in the bombings, police
sources have clearly indicated that a few Army officers were
involved, but that they have yet to arrest any of them. (ylt)