State secretary defends nomination of Da'i as new National Police chief
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
State/Cabinet Secretary Bambang Kesowo expressed on Monday President Megawati Soekarnoputri's belief that Comr. Gen. Da'i Bachtiar could unite the police force, following Megawati's decision to submit his name to the House of Representatives for approval as the new National Police chief.
"His name has been submitted (for the position of National Police chief) and we hope for the best," Bambang said after a national seminar on narcotics at the State Palace.
"We believe that he would be a good chief for the force," Bambang added.
If approved by the House, Da'i, who is currently chairman of the National Narcotics Coordination Agency (BKNN), will replace Gen. Surojo Bimantoro, who will retire on Nov. 3.
"The nomination of Da'i is aimed at maintaining harmony within the police force," Bambang said. His nomination is also intended to mend divisions within the institution, torn apart by rivalry between its top brass following the fall of former president Abdurrahman Wahid's administration.
Da'i said on the sidelines of the seminar on narcotics that he had not yet been informed of his nomination, but stated his readiness to do the job if it were assigned to him.
"As an officer, I'm ready to accept the duty assigned to me," Da'i said, refusing to elaborate any further.
House Speaker Akbar Tandjung, who is also chairman of the Golkar Party, said on Sunday that the House, including Golkar, would not reject Da'i's nomination.
Constitutionally, the House will assess Da'i's performance, which will include his career path and capability, through a fit- and-proper test.
The nomination of Da'i was considered a surprise by many, as the National Police Headquarters had proposed several senior candidates to Megawati. They reportedly included National Police Inspector-General Comr. Gen. Ahwil Luthan, Comr. Gen. Kadaryanto, National Police secretary-general Comr. Gen. Yun Mulyana, Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Sofjan Jacoeb and East Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Sutanto.
Several watchdog bodies demanded on Monday that the government clarify the nomination since, according to them, the candidate didn't have an outstanding track record.
Bambang Widjojanto from the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute Foundation (YLBHI) said that Megawati should have explained the criteria that had been used in the nomination.
"Moreover, Da'i has problems. His name was earlier implicated in extortion activities during the investigation into the scandal over Bank Indonesia's liquidity funds when he was the detective chief at the National Police Headquarters," he told The Jakarta Post.
"He is also yet to clarify exactly what went on when he claimed that he received one of the kidnapped activists, Andi Arief, from a group related to the kidnapping. Without any clarification, he can be implicated as part of the crime conspiracy."
Police Watch executive Athar and Government Watch coordinator Farid R. Faqih said that the government's nomination created the impression that the President would present it to the House as a fait accompli.
"The government's argument that to have more than one candidate will create money politics is baseless," Athar said. As such a nomination was inappropriate, there should be other candidates, he added.
It is understood that Megawati, who holds the prerogative of appointing candidates for the police chief position, picked only a single candidate to minimize rifts within the police force.