Police generals meet with Chaeruddin
Police generals meet with Chaeruddin
JAKARTA (JP): Top police generals at National Police
Headquarters breathed easy on Friday after having privately met
with National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. Chaeruddin Ismail,
who reportedly gave the generals an assurance of loyalty toward
the National Police.
Former National Police chief Gen. (ret) H.M. Sanusi said that
police generals and former police generals wanted to save
National Police Headquarters from "absolute destruction."
"We were not able to speak with Chaeruddin earlier. We have
spoken to him now and we believe that we need to work together to
save the National Police from destruction, which has been caused
both by internal and external forces.
"Chaeruddin told us that he usually discussed matters with
Bimantoro when it came to security issues and upholding the
integrity of National Police Headquarters," Sanusi said, after
the meeting at Ambhara Hotel, South Jakarta.
On hand at Friday's meeting included former National Police
chiefs Rusdihardjo and Awaloeddin Djamin.
President Abdurrahman Wahid suspended and later on dismissed
Gen. Surojo Bimantoro as National Police chief and handpicked
Chaeruddin to take over the duties.
Bimantoro, however, challenged the President's decision,
arguing that the President needed approval from the House of
Representatives to dismiss him, as required by a People's
Consultative Assembly decree.
As Bimantoro gained support from the House and senior police
generals, the President took several confusing steps to force
Bimantoro to surrender his command baton.
Failing to achieve that, the President then ordered his aides
to arrest Bimantoro and city police chief Insp. Gen. Sofjan
Yacob. This caused uproar, which prompted the President to
rectify his earlier decision.
On Friday, Chaeruddin said that he had not issued any
instruction for the arrests of Bimantoro or Sofjan.
"I will not make any such arrest...I've never received a
direct order from the President on that matter," Chaeruddin told
reporters, after attending Friday prayers.
"Besides, what Cabinet Secretary Marzuki Darusman announced on
Thursday was quite clear. Police will therefore take no action."
Marzuki called an abrupt media conference on Thursday night to
rectify an earlier announcement made by presidential spokesman
Yahya C. Staquf about the order to arrest Bimantoro.
Legislator Insp. Gen. Taufiequrochman Ruki told reporters on
Friday that he suspected that Thursday's announcement "must have
been the doings of the President's whisperers."
Two other legislators, Aisyah Amini of the United Development
Party faction and Manase Malo of the Love the Nation Democratic
Party faction, even suggested that Yahya be arrested for
endangering public safety. (ylt/tso)