Semarang – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono remains silent after the latest showdown between the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the National Police.
KPK chairman Abraham Samad said on Saturday the police's attempt to arrest a KPK investigator on Friday night – just hours after the commission interrogated a police general – was intentionally aimed at weakening the commission.
"The President should lend a helping hand against any parties attempting to disrupt the work of the KPK," Abraham said after speaking at an anticorruption discussion in Semarang, Central Java.
The latest in a long series of showdowns between the law enforcement agencies began on Friday evening, when dozens of police officers tried to enter the KPK headquarters to arrest Comr. Novel Baswedan, a police officer seconded to the commission as an investigator, for shooting robbery suspects in 2004.
The move is thought to be prompted by Novel's key role in the investigation of Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo in the scandal surrounding the Rp 200 billion (US$21.2 million) procurement of vehicle simulators at the National Police Traffic Corps (Korlantas).
The police withdrew from the KPK on Friday only after Deputy Law and Human Rights Minister Denny Indrayana and prominent anticorruption activists came to stop the arrest. The incident has inspired another "Save the KPK" campaign, including a planned rally on Sunday morning at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle.
The police and the KPK squared off in July over the case after Djoko became the first active-duty police general to be named a suspect. As the KPK proceeded with its investigation of Djoko, the police announced they would withdraw 20 officers seconded to the commission as investigators. Five of them have defied orders.
Abraham said he had filed reports with State Secretary Sudi Silalahi and Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto about the incident.
Meanwhile, the National Police's Criminal Investigation Division chief, Comr. Gen. Sutarman, denied officers attempted to arrest Novel in retaliation for the commission's investigation, saying they only tried to "coordinate" with KPK officials on the case implicating Novel.
"If we are in process of enforcing the law, don't take it as if we're criminalizing him [Novel]," Sutarman, the nation's top detective, said during a television interview. Sutarman said Novel, who was previously the Bengkulu Police detective unit chief, shot and killed one robber and injured five more in February 2004.
Meanwhile KPK deputy chief Bambang Widjojanto said Novel did not shoot the men and the case had been closed years ago.
Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) researcher, Ade Irawan described the attempt to arrest Novel as a "huge" setback for the nation's fight against corruption and recommended that the President intervene.
Agreeing with Ade, an executive of the National Mandate Party (PAN), Bima Arya Sugiarto, said the ongoing conflict between KPK and the police was a test for Yudhoyono.
Cabinet Secretary Dipo Alam, however, said the President would not make any move until the coordinating political, legal and security affairs minister reported to him.
"There is no omission, I am sure. I know the President. There is no omission of the KPK's issue. We will use the system. Why do things have to be rushed?" Dipo said after a talk show in Jakarta.
Following a late-night vigil by activists on Friday, the National Police dispatched a platoon of officers to KPK headquarters.
Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto said on Saturday that sending the platoon was not done to interfere with or to intimidate the KPK but to guard the area in anticipation of other rallies. (yps/aml/han)