Editorial: Jokowi’s Police Choice Can’t Wait Anymore
Now that President Joko Widodo is back from his five-day Southeast Asian trip, we expect him to make a clear decision on whether he will inaugurate Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan or nominate another general as the chief of the National Police.
We also hope that he can quickly stop the conflict between the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the police force.
He promised before his departure to make a decision this week to resolve the issue that has festered for a month, draining his government’s resources and his ability to realize his promises, as well as absorbing public energy and focus.
Joko has been criticized as fleeing abroad and leaving the police vs KPK saga unaddressed at home, at a time when the antigraft body is facing an imminent threat of being rendered powerless as all four of its commissioners face dubious criminal charges by the police.
Joko must now cancel Budi’s nomination and appoint an officer he believes is clean and capable enough to lead the police into becoming honest law enforcers and sincere public servants.
We call on him, as the head of state, to order the police to stop fabricating cases against the KPK leaders — not as a legal intervention, but as an act to defend justice and prevent the death of the corruption eradication effort in Indonesia.
He must allow the current KPK commissioners to remain in office until their terms finish in October. Allowing them to be charged, and then issuing a decree to replace them will mean Joko is giving corrupt parties the opportunity to place their candidates in the institution.
The longer Joko delays his decision, the more difficult and riskier the case becomes. He can’t let the corruptors come out as the winner of this mess.
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