Woe our police force

Woe our police force

It is now clear that President Abdurrahman Wahid is prepared
to do just about anything to cling on to power, even to the point
of tearing apart the National Police, the very institution that
is expected to maintain some semblance of order in this
increasingly chaotic country. In the latest episode, the
President ordered National Police chief Gen. Soerojo Bimantoro,
who has defied his earlier order to be "non-activated", to
surrender his commander baton and other responsibilities as the
number one figure in the force.

All indications suggest that the President will finally win
this battle, which has been going on for more than a month now.
There is a limit to how long and how far Bimantoro can defy the
President, who, after all, is his boss. Even the House of
Representatives, which by law must approve the appointment or
replacement of the National Police chief, seems powerless. Since
the House was not consulted when Bimantoro was appointed to the
post last year, what chance does it have now to block his
removal?

Although President Abdurrahman may feel that he has for once
settled the leadership issue of the National Police, the
controversy has left the force in disarray.

For the past month, the National Police have virtually had two
bosses, Bimantoro and Chaeruddin Ismail, who was appointed deputy
chief by President Abdurrahman only this month to take over the
leadership baton. The National Police are already in a difficult
position as it is, undergoing massive internal reform while
having to deal with seemingly endless violent unrest in various
parts of the archipelago.

Even more disturbing however, is the prospect of the National
Police turning into the President's personal tool of power the
moment he takes full control of the force. There is no doubt that
his fixation to remove Bimantoro this past month is part and
parcel of his campaign to cling to the presidency.

His threat to declare a state of emergency if the People's
Consultative Assembly (MPR) proceeds with its plan to impeach him
would not be possible without the cooperation of the National
Police. His warning that his supporters would storm the House of
Representatives building and disrupt the MPR Special Session next
month would not likely materialize if the police were allowed to
do their job properly and preempt the supporters from coming
to Jakarta in the first place.

The moment the President declares a state of emergency, he
needs the police to enforce the many draconian measures that
become available at his disposal, including the arrests of
political opponents, and, God forbid, the imposition of a news
blackout.

Bimantoro has openly refused to go along with the President
and is now being made to pay the ultimate price -- his job. The
top military leadership has also put up a united front in
refusing to cooperate. The President too has been campaigning to
have them removed, but he has been less successful.

Now, President Abdurrahman seems to be making some headway in
taking control over the National Police. Woe to our police
officers, who seem to be having a hard time meeting current
challenges. But most of all, woe to the people in this country,
who must live not only with a police force that is increasingly
in disarray, but also with an increasingly authoritarian
president.