Dicky Christanto, Jakarta – The police monitoring commission should scrupulously examine candidates for the next police chief, a human rights NGO said, highlighting the fact that most declared hopefuls are known to have bad track records.
"I strongly encourage the commission to examine their track records to ensure that we get candidates with integrity," Al Araf, the program director of Imparsial, told a discussion Friday.
Hosted by Imparsial, the discussion aimed to find a credible candidate to head the police and carry out reform in the corruption-riddled body.
National Police chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri will retire in October this year. Under Bambang, the police force has come under public scrutiny for a number of scandals, including its quarrel with the Corruption Eradication Commission late last year and recent bribery allegations implicating high-ranking officers.
Novel Ali of Kompolnas admitted that the commission, which is tasked with filing recommendations to the President, had not thoroughly perused records of the candidates.
"We usually examine the character requirements of those who deserve to be named the next national police chief," he said.
Al Araf said that as of Friday at least eight police generals were considered eligible to land the position. They are Comr. Gen. Gorries Mere, Comr. Gen. Yusuf Manggabarani, Comr. Gen. Iman Haryatna, Comr. Gen. Nanan Soekarna, Comr. Gen. Ito Sumardi, Comr Gen. Susno Duadji, Insp. Gen. Oegroseno and Insp. Gen. Timur Pradopo.
The first three generals will retire this year, he said, adding that the rest were known to have "bad records".
Comr. Gen. Nanan Sukarna, for example, was responsible for the police's failure to prevent a rally in North Sumatera from turning into a riot that led to the death of the province's parliament speaker Abdul Aziz Angkat early last year. He was then the province's police chief.
Al Araf said that Comr. Gen. Ito Sumardi was believed to have had close relations with some local gambling and illegal logging syndicates when he served as police chief in Riau and South Sumatra. He has denied the allegations.
Oegroseno is known to have refused then police chief Sutanto's order to execute three Poso death row convicts: Fabianus Tibo, Dominggus Da Silva and Marinus Riwu. He was later replaced by then Sr. Comr. Badrodin Haiti.
"As for Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji, I am not obliged to provide a statement as I believe that the people are still aware about the crocodile versus gecko incident and all the allegations that led to the indication of his involvement in several cases later on," Araf said.
Insp. Gen. Timur Pradopo, he added, was the West Jakarta police chief during the 1998 Trisakti shootings, which claimed the lives of four students from the University of Trisakti. Timur has not given a clear explanation of the incident, Al Araf said.