Young officers defy police chief Bimantoro

Young officers defy police chief Bimantoro

JAKARTA (JP): In an act that shocked and shamed a number of
top police generals, some 150 middle-ranking police officers
declared on Monday that National Police chief Gen. Surojo
Bimantoro should stop disobeying orders, and told him to comply
with the instruction of President Abdurrahman Wahid to vacate his
post.

The officers, who mostly ranged from adjutant senior
commissioner to senior commissioner, noted that the National
Police was positioned "right under the President," and that the
National Police should not take issue with Bimantoro's dismissal,
which they considered to be a natural phenomena.

"This matter has confused middle-ranking officers because Gen.
Bimantoro should actually submit to the President's orders, but
this is something he has not done. Instead, he is defying
presidential orders," Sr. Comr. Alfon said at the meeting, which
was attended by middle-ranking police officers and police top
brass, at the National Police headquarters on Monday.

"I stress that this meeting is not being held to defy our
superior officer (Gen. Bimantoro), but there are rules and
regulations that need to be followed. The President presides over
National Police headquarters. We must not forget that," Alfon
argued.

Another officer, Sr. Comr. Salikhin, went on to stress that
statements made by top police generals and former National Police
chiefs did not represent the views of the nearly 200,000 police
officers across the nation.

"Those statements made by the generals represent an unfair
attitude, a defiant and authoritarian attitude. They do not
represent the National Police force," Salikhin said.

"We, the members of the National Police, will not tolerate the
political intervention of the House of Representatives (DPR). The
National Police chief is directly subordinate to the President,
and not the DPR."

Before he could go further, the Inspector-General of the
National Police, Com. Gen. Ahwil Luthan, suddenly rushed towards
the microphone and tried to stop the meeting from continuing.

"This is not what I had expected ... let's discuss this
internally," Ahwil told those in attendance.

Salikhin instead held on to the microphone and continued to
speak while Ahwil stood there, stunned, looking into the TV
camera nervously.

Following the meeting, other officers stated that they were
not afraid of losing their commissions over the matter.

"We have agreed on the fact that Gen. Surojo Bimantoro and the
police generals who support him should stop this disgustingly
disobedient attitude and allow the National Police to be led by
the younger generation," Sr. Comr. Banja Nohar said.

The meeting shocked a number of police generals, who
reportedly faxed in written expressions of support for Gen.
Bimantoro to National Police headquarters after seeing the
incident on television. Gen. Bimantoro, however, could not be
reached for comment.

"It seems a certain party, probably from within the National
Police, engineered this," National Police spokesman Insp. Gen.
Didi Widayadi told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

Separately, Coordinating Minister for Political, Social, and
Security Affairs Gen. (ret) Agum Gumelar disclosed on Monday that
he had suggested that Abdurrahman appoint a new National Police
chief.

"This, of course, must be done in line with existing
procedures," Agum said at a snap press briefing in his office.

"What occurred at National Police headquarters this morning is
something that we never expected to witness. This country needs
cohesion among its security forces. If the police fail to solve
this dual leadership problem, I'm afraid of possible dissension
emerging in their ranks," Agum said. (ylt/tso)