Police chief rejects Gus Dur's order to quit
Police chief rejects Gus Dur's order to quit
JAKARTA (JP): National Police Chief Surojo Bimantoro rejected
on Friday an order from President Abdurrahman Wahid to resign,
claiming such action was against existing regulations.
"The President has asked me to resign. I will not," Bimantoro
told reporters on Friday evening, after an emergency meeting at
the National Police Headquarters.
Bimantoro said that if the President wanted to replace him or
assign someone else to take up his responsibilities he was free
to do so, provided that Abdurrahman abided by current
regulations.
The regulations state that the House of Representatives (DPR)
must first agree to the appointment or dismissal of the National
Police chief. Abdurrahman had already appointed Bimantoro to
replace Gen. Rusdihardjo, without the blessings of the House.
Abdurrahman rebuked the National Police on Friday morning,
over the way in which they handled the violence in Pasuruan, East
Java, on May 30, which resulted in the death of a man.
Bimantoro said that Abdurrahman had asked him about this in a
meeting on Friday afternoon.
"I told him that unlike in Jakarta, there was chaos throughout
Pasuruan. My officers were being attacked with machetes... home-
made explosives were being thrown at my men," Bimantoro told The
Jakarta Post at his office on Friday night.
"The mobs in Pasuruan vandalized and burned two churches and
damaged a mosque. It was becoming intolerable and I had
instructed my men that should chaos occur, we would first use
tear gas and then rubber bullets and if the situation worsened
further... then use live bullets."
Bimantoro told reporters on Friday evening that in a meeting
with Abdurrahman, the President told him that non-governmental
organizations were pressuring Abdurrahman to replace Bimantoro.
"The President said that he could not defend me anymore and
asked me to hand over my letter of resignation," Bimantoro said.
He added that the President will now appoint a new National
Police deputy chief, who will assume the task of the National
Police chief.
"The assignments to the post of National Police chief and
National Police deputy chief must first be approved by a board of
high-ranking officers," Bimantoro said.
Bimantoro told the Post that in the past month, on almost
everything related to security issues, he had consulted with
outgoing top security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and
Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Adm. Widodo A.S.
The possible appointment of a new National Police deputy chief
by Abdurrahman, is in contradiction to a presidential decree, on
extensive changes in the organizational structure of the National
Police.
The abolishment of the post of the National Police deputy
chief is stipulated in presidential Decree No. 54, issued by
Abdurrahman and legalized on April 25 this year.
The decree, which was issued with the aim to equalize the
National Police with non-ministerial institutions, is scheduled
to take affect a week before July 1 this year.
The post of the National Police deputy chief will be replaced
by that of secretary-general.
New posts created include deputy for operational control;
deputy for human resources; deputy for logistics and deputy for
police education and training. All four deputies are scheduled to
report directly to the National Police chief.
Chief of the National Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) elite
forces will report to the deputy for operational control.
"National Police officers of ranks between adjutant and
commissioner, who do not belong to either the National Police
Intelligence or are detectives, will all be reassigned to their
new posts in the provinces," Didi told reporters.
"Their posts at the National Police will then be filled by
civilians." (ylt)