Aceh Governor Abdullah Puteh is to be questioned by National Police HQ nd the Anti-Corruption Commission. Why has he not been suspended?
Although they have the same job, Abdullah Puteh has a higher status than other governors. A civil state of emergency was proclaimed in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam because the separatist Free Aceh Movement, GAM, is still causing security concerns there. The civil emergency authority holder is Abdullah Puteh, because the position goes to the governor.
It is easy to imagine that Puteh is busier than other governors. Not only does he have to oversee routine matters of regional government, but he also has
to head the security forces to guarantee public security in the context of the civil emergency. The fact that he is so busy is the reason why National Police HQ has repeatedly extended the deadline for the questioning of Puteh, who is suspected of involvement in corruption over the supply of electricity generators. National Police HQ spokesman Insp. Gen. Paiman said that although President Megawati has already given permission for Puteh to be questioned, the police are still trying to find a time when the governor is free.
This seems odd. Based on initial questioning of a number of people involved in the purchase of the generators, Puteh is suspected of being involved in corruption that cost the state more than Rp6 billion. The Rp30-billion generator project was intended to help the public because the state-owned electricity company (PLN) electricity supply substations had been torched by GAM.
The generators were installed, but the electricity supply to the public did not return to normal. It turned out that the generators supplied were not up to the specifications and not in accordance with the contract. The generator supplier, William Taylor, has already been detained. From Taylor, it emerged that funds were diverted to several officials in Aceh.
Why has Puteh not been suspended to allow the corruption investigation to proceed smoothly? When the investigation is over, and if there is not enough evidence to put Puteh on trial, he can be reinstated. But if he has to face trial, or is sentenced, he must immediately be replaced, not merely suspended.
If this were done, the police would not have to wait for Governor Puteh to have enough time to be questioned.
The government often lacks resolve in these cases. The appointment of Fadel Muhammad as Governor of Gorontalo was delayed because of his involvement in a civil case. The election of the Lampung governor was cancelled by the government because governor-elect Alzier D. Thabranie was involved in a criminal case, although there has been no decision about a trial. But East Nusa Tenggara Governor, Piet Alexander Tallo, was inaugurated by Home Affairs Minister Hari Sabarno for a second term despite the local police having declared him a suspect in a Rp14.9-billion health project corruption case.
In the Puteh case, Minister Hari Sabarno has said that Puteh will be suspended as he is declared a suspect. But the police are certain that Puteh will immediately be declared a suspect once the questioning gets underway.
Then there is the statement from Puteh that he is ready to be questioned at any time, in Banda Aceh or Jakarta. If that is the case, why do the police have to wait until the civil emergency authority holder has spare time for questioning? A governor who is a civil emergency authority holder can be busy, or he can make himself busy for ever.