Some good reasons not to promote Mangku Pastika, yet

Some good reasons not to promote Mangku Pastika, yet

I Wayan Juniartha, Journalist, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali

The current hot issue among journalists assigned to Bali
Police headquarters could be summed up in just six words: "Mangku
Pastika out, Gorries Mere in".

Initially, this was just a rumor, but it has gained ground in
the last few days, particularly after its confirmation by a local
journalist known for having an extensive network of contacts on
the force.

He explained that Pastika, a two-star general, would be
promoted to National Police headquarters in Jakarta as head of
the prestigious Criminal Investigation Department, a position
usually reserved for three-star generals. He would be replaced as
Bali Police chief by Gorries Mere, a one-star general.

"The transfer will likely take place early next year, either
on January or February," he said.

Both Pastika and Mere have played important roles in the Bali
bombing investigation. While Pastika was responsible for
directing the investigative process, Mere led a group of highly
trained detectives to track down and apprehend the suspects.

In this respect, the transfer could be viewed as simply a
replacement of one fine and able officer by another.

Bali, however, is not a simple island community that can be
managed successfully by just any fine and able officer. The
island and its population has ceased to be -- or perhaps never
was -- a peaceful abode of deeply spiritual, peace-loving and
highly civilized people, the image incessantly presented and
amplified by the tourism industry and local bureaucrats, and one
which is blindly believed by most Balinese themselves.

Various events of recent years, such as the schism between the
modernist camp and the traditionalist camp of the Hindu religious
authoritative body Parisadha, the rampant intercultural village
clashes, recurring violent conflicts between supporters of rival
political parties, the rising -- albeit almost unnoticeable --
ethnic tension between native Balinese and Muslim migrants from
Java, growing unemployment caused by the post-bombing declining
economic condition, and the aggravating, widespread drug-and-
alcohol culture among its youth, suggest that the task is
certainly not a Sunday picnic for any police chief.

The island, therefore, needs a police chief with a deep
understanding and knowledge of the local population's unique
culture and character flaws. Moreover, he also must have the
legitimacy and personal courage needed to handle, firmly,
effectively and with sensitivity, the island's common "crimes",
such as violent clashes between two customary villages triggered
by an ownership dispute over a sacred temple.

The police chiefs before Pastika, with the exception of Brig.
Gen. Budi Setyawan, were generally too intimidated by these
sensitive cases to act effectively. Instead, they tended to leave
the legal law enforcement approach out of the equation. In most
cases, this approach not only aggravated the situation, but, by
making certain groups believe that they were above the law, also
guaranteed the perpetuity of the "crimes".

"So far, Mangku Pastika is the most legitimate police chief
the island has ever had. He also has the guts to deal firmly with
these sensitive cases," cultural observer I Ketut Sumartha
pointed out.

The legitimacy must have something to do with his brilliant
achievement in solving the bombing case. The fact that he was a
Balinese, a devout and learned Hindu and a generous patron of
numerous temples must also have, to some extent, provided pivotal
leverage in tackling sensitive issues. His courage, however,
obviously stems from personal convictions.

"I am a Balinese and I hate to see this beautiful island being
placed in harm's way by its own people. I will do anything in my
capacity to prevent that from taking place," Pastika once said.

Most importantly, Pastika is a nonpartisan officer, an
excellent quality in a police chief on an island where political
competition has, for decades, been transformed by the parties'
grassroots supporters into brutal, bloody street brawls.

The recent clashes between supporters of the Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and the Golkar
Party, in which two lives were lost, was a fine demonstration of
Pastika's personal conviction and nonpartisanship. Under his
leadership, the police aggressively pursued and investigated the
case, which led to the arrests of dozens of PDI Perjuangan
supporters.

For some people, rounding up the members of the present ruling
party is a "politically incorrect" action, which could cost an
officer his future career. In the past, many police chiefs had
chosen to ignore such incidents and thus indirectly permitted the
escalation of terror and political feuding.

Currently, given the fact that the island is divisively split
into two equally strong, opposing political camps -- PDI
Perjuangan and Golkar -- many people fear that the recent clashes
were just a prelude to more bitter, bloodier and more widespread
incidents of political violence in the immediate future.

Most members of elite society -- including the governor and
regents -- claim allegiance to one political party or another,
which hinders them from making objective assessment and taking
just action once violence erupts. This makes it all the more
imperative for the island to have a strong, non-partisan police
chief ahead of and during the upcoming 2004 general elections.

"Pastika could handle them, but if he leaves before the
elections, then we will likely see many more incidents of
political violence. Such incidents will surely send the island's
economy and its tourism industry, which are still struggling to
recover from the aftershocks of the bombings, SARS, the Iraq War
and dysentery, into an early grave," businessman Tjahjadi said.

"He (Pastika) is simply one of the handful of Balinese elites
who are honest enough to admit that the island is facing grave
problems and knows how to cope with them. Knowing that he could
not depend on the island's political elites, formal leaders and
official apparatuses, Pastika cleverly mobilized traditional and
religious leaders to rally behind his cause of protecting the
island from the upcoming political upheaval," Sumartha noted.

Just a few days ago, on Dec. 5, Pastika invited 110 pedanda,
or Hindu high priests, from all over Bali to a gathering at the
holy temple of Uluwatu. In accordance with ancient religious
customs, Pastika kneeled and placed punia sacred offerings in
front of each and every pedanda, then asked for their assistance
to keep the Balinese people calm on the eve of the general
elections.

In the end, Pastika not only won their hearts, but also their
approval for his firm legal measures in dealing with political
violence and sensitive issues. This is certainly a huge boost for
the police, since the high priests wield an insurmountable
influence over the Balinese.

From this perspective, therefore, promoting Pastika prior to
the elections will not only prove to be an ill-timed decision,
but also an unnecessary risk that could cost the central
government its prized property, the island's lucrative tourism
industry.

The island, on the other hand, will surely lose much more than
just an industry. It might lose itself.

Of course, Pastika is an officer of the Indonesian National
Police and thus subject to transfers or tours of duty to any
corner of the archipelago. But if Pastika must be promoted to a
three-star general, would the National Police chief and President
Megawati mind doing it after the 2004 elections, please?