TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - It would be dangerous for the public to misunderstand the dismissal of Police Crime Investigation Division Chief, Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso. People might see him as a victim, as if he had been sidelined as a result of uncovering the hoarding of beef, the alleged corruption of Pertamina social funds or the Pelindo II crane case.
Waseso has claimed that all his actions were purely in the interest of law enforcement. This statement appears to be in accordance with Presidential Regulation No. 71/2015 in June. This regulation, which laid down the rules for the determination and storage of basic and important commodities, is too broad in scope, covering matters from the protection of production to the management of imports and exports. As a result, many of its provisions tend to be 'flexible', allowing them to be interpreted differently depending on the interests of the person using it. It seems this ambiguity has led the police to believe they had the authority to enforce the law in the real economic sector as well. For example in the case of stockpiling beef and rice, many of the police, who may have felt the 'call of duty', ended up being involved in the 'market' from top to bottom. When Waseso was fired, the public readily jumped to the conclusion that the president had fired a man who had done no wrong and who had simply been implementing a presidential regulation.
But Waseso's dismissal should be seen from another perspective. Since his appointment as chief of the Police Crime Investigation Division (Bareskrim) in January, Waseso has been constantly mired in controversy. After he reached the top of the organization in only four days, Bareskrim arrested Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Deputy Chairman Bambang Widjojanto. The alleged offense dated back to more than five years, and involved false testimony at a Constitutional Court hearing on the disputed result of a regional election in West Kotawaringin. Bambang was immediately indicted by the police and he was suspended from the KPK.
It is difficult to believe that Waseso and Bareskrim were simply enforcing the law when KPK Chairman Abraham Samad was also declared a suspect. This was another old case: alleged falsification of residential documentation in Makassar eight years ago. Like Bambang Widjojanto, after his indictment, Abraham Samad was suspended from the KPK. With the loss of two of its leaders, the anti-corruption organization faced uncertainty.
It is not difficult to discern Waseso's motive in reviving these old cases involving two of KPK's leaders. These two had indicted Pol.Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan allegedly over taking bribes and gratuities when he was chief of the Education Bureau at National Police HQ from 2003 to 2006. As a result, Budi Gunawan, who had already been approved by the House of Representatives (DPR) as the new police chief, was not appointed by President Joko Widodo.
The police have repeatedly denied being motivated by revenge, but the next move by Bareskrim only reinforced such suspicions. After Bambang Widjojanto and Abraham Samad, in February it was the turn of Novel Baswedan, who was believed to have participated in the investigation of Budi Gunawan. He was accused of the 2004 shooting a suspected bird-nest thief in Bengkulu. And in March, Bareskrim even indicted former deputy law minster Denny Indrayana over the payment gateway case. Denny has long been known for helping the KPK.
Budi Waseso's zeal for upholding the law did not apply to everyone. He took a more lenient stance in the case of Budi Gunawan when he agreed that the prosecution should be halted after a court revoked the status of Budi Gunawan, once Megawati Sukarnoputri's aide. This favoritism undermined the law enforcement argument that Waseso had been zealously using. And Waseso's refusal to hand over the list of his assets as he is legally obliged to do also showed he does not obey the law. Ignoring the President's instruction to stop criminalizing individuals or law enforcement agencies in dispute with the Police was not a good example coming from the chief of the Crime Investigation Division.
It is not entirely mistaken to see Waseso's dismissal as a sign of President Jokowi's growing political strength. So far, people believed that the President had been unable to act against Waseso because of the influence of Budi Gunawan, who is now the deputy police chief. And many are aware that he enjoys the support of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). When Waseso was replaced, the PDI-P openly expressed its disapproval, but the police chief, with the support of President Jokowi, was undeterred. Waseso was made chief of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN).
The former chief of Bareskrim was not replaced for his overzealousness and falling into an offside trap. The reason for his dismissal was an accumulation of errors. This is what the new Bareskrim chief needs to know. Unlike Budi Waseso, he will need to prove that he will defend the fight against corruption, to show no favoritism and to pick no fights. (*)
Read the full story in this week's edition of Tempo English magazine.