Farouk Arnaz, Jakarta – National Police Chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti has defended the under-the-radar inauguration of Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan as his deputy, claiming the abrupt inauguration was caused by a scheduling conflict.
"It was the result of a very fast process, initially I wanted to hold the inauguration on Thursday and make it open, with media and everything, but it turned out I have a presentation today," Badrodin said on Thursday.
Budi was inaugurated as National Police deputy chief on Wednesday despite critics saying that Budi, who had been named a suspect by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), was not an appropriate candidate for a force dogged by graft allegations.
Despite widespread public disapproval of Budi, the Wanjakti, an eight-member police committee that vets candidates for senior positions, had unanimously agreed last Friday to appoint Budi as the nation's second in command of law enforcement.
Badrodin denied he had been keeping the Wanjakti's decision a secret until the very last minutes to avoid protest. Prior to the inauguration, Badrodin kept refusing to confirm Budi's appointment to the media.
"Everything was unclear until Wednesday morning. It is unwise to announce something before it is fixed," he said.
Budi's inauguration has drawn criticism because the police did not seem interested in mass media coverage, which is unusual for such a key event.