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)