Ezra Sihite & Carlos K.Y. Paath – The chief of the National Police has been forced to defend his deputy in the House of Representatives amid claims the lower-ranked officer was moonlighting in other jobs and had political aspirations.

Trimedya Panjaitan, a member of House Commission III, which oversees legal affairs, said on Wednesday that he had information that Comr. Gen. Nanan Soekarna had been mustering support from local dignitaries and potential campaign workers in preparation for a run at the governorship of West Java in 2013.

Nanan denied the claim after meeting with Commission III on Wednesday. "It's not true," the National Police deputy chief said. "I have no party, and no money to put myself forward."

Trimedya said that if the information was true, Nanan should resign from the police. "To ensure the neutrality of the police, Nanan must state his intention to resign from his post immediately," he said.

The lawmaker said that Nanan's predecessor, Adang Daradjatun, had resigned from the police when he decided to run for governor of Jakarta.

Trimedya, a member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said he was also concerned about three positions that Nanan held outside the police force. He said Nanan was the head of the Indonesia Motorsports Association (IMI), the head of the Indonesian Shooting and Hunting Association (Perbakin) and the head of the Harley-Davidson Motorbike Riders' Club.

"We know the deputy police chief holds these three prestigious positions. These are all expensive hobbies, and according to Busyro, they're hedonistic," Trimedya said, referring to Busyro Muqoddas, a senior figure at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

Nanan's superior, National Police Chief Gen. Timur Pradopo, also attended the Commission III meeting and took the opportunity to defend his deputy against Trimedya's accusations. "Hopefully these concerns are unfounded, and I take responsibility," Timur said.

"I think we are all professional, and the duties of the deputy police chief are already clear: to assist the police chief and lighten his load. No matter what he [Nanan] does, including when he meets the public, he always asks for my direction, which I give him."

He added that as far as he knew, Nanan had no intention to run in the West Java gubernatorial election.