Waiting for police to make another big catch
Imanuddin Razak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Indonesian Police deserve a big round of applause for all the good work they did last week. They put a big dent in the domestic terrorist network by killing alleged terror leader and top bomb maker Azahari bin Husin during a raid in Malang, East Java, on Wednesday. Then on Friday, the police shut down a major drug factory in Serang, Banten.
The killing of Azahari removes a terror leader and expert bomb maker, damaging the ability of terrorists in the country to carry out murderous attacks. Shutting down the drug factory, which was producing ecstasy and shabu-shabu (crystal methamphetamine), will help prevent the scourge of drugs from destroying the lives of any more of our young people.
Either of these successes would have been notable, but for two major achievements like this to occur in the same week is almost beyond belief.
Praise, however, should not go solely to the police, as a number of different parties were involved in at least the preliminary investigations and preparations for the operations.
Flash back to prior to the raid on Azahari's hideout in a rented house in a quiet area of Batu, Malang. Police received a tip from local residents alerted by the suspicious arrival and activities of Azahari and several of his colleagues. Residents allowed the police to use their homes to monitor the group, with one of the homes being turned into a makeshift command post.
Residents also played a helpful role in the police raid on the drug factory in Serang. Although the residents' role in the preliminary investigation was small -- only complaining to authorities about dead fish turning up in the river that runs behind the factory -- the complaint prompted further investigations, during which authorities determined the river was polluted with chemicals used in the production of ecstasy and shabu-shabu.
Police also received assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration in the U.S., which warned authorities of the delivery of a machine from China used in the production of ecstasy.
While we wish to take this moment to applaud the police, we also can't help but wonder when we will see some real commitment from the police to tackle other big criminal cases.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono hinted during a tour of the raided drug factory on Saturday with National Police chief Gen. Sutanto that his next ambition was to see those involved in major corruption cases "brought down".
The country has a special anticorruption task force, led by Hendarman Supandji from the Special Crimes Division of the Attorney General's Office. It also has the Special Crimes Division itself, which deals with major corruption cases.
And the police have an economic crimes unit and an anticorruption unit that can actively participate in the national campaign against corruption, which is seemingly the country's most difficult crime to tackle since authorities still have not managed to land their first "big fish".
All of the major corruption suspects have managed to avoid prosecution through loopholes and weaknesses in the country's laws or simply through bribery.
Besides waging war against terrorism, corruption and the latest drugs to hit the streets, the police remain engaged in their long struggle against that traditional scourge of young people the world over, marijuana.
The police have been busy arresting marijuana dealers and users, once in a while seizing a truck transporting a large load of the drug. However, authorities seem incapable of taking the sort of action that really strikes a blow against the crime. Where are the raids on the marijuana fields in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam province or the arrests of the bosses of the marijuana rings.
With last week's major successes, the police proved they have it in them to carry off major operations. Now the people want to see them do something about those involved in major corruption cases and the acute problem of marijuana.