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)