New East Java Provincial Police Chief Brig. Gen. Anton Bachrul Alam stressed that he would focus on maintaining security and public order in the province on the eve of and during legislative elections.
He put unresolved major cases, including the Lapindo mudflow disaster, aside.
"I need more time to study the mudflow case. At present, I have to give top priority to enhancing security and ensuring public order and the handling of other issues relating to the upcoming legislative elections," he told The Jakarta Post after taking over from his predecessor Insp. Gen. Herman Surjadi Sumawiredja in a ceremony here on Friday.
The police have yet to announce any progress in their investigation into the May 29, 2006 mudflow disaster, which damaged important public infrastructure and displaced tens of thousands of people in Porong, Sidoarjo.
Both National Police Chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri and Herman recently reiterated that the police planned to drop the case but they could not set a deadline for the investigation. The provincial prosecutor's office meanwhile, said it was waiting for the police to file its dossiers and hand over the suspects and legal evidence needed to bring the case to court.
The police declared 13 executives and staff members of energy corporation Lapindo Brantas Inc. suspects in 2007, but they were not detained because they were deemed cooperative and their company agreed to pay compensation to the victims of the disaster. The police investigation into the case drew criticism from mudflow victims and nongovernmental organizations after it was suggested that the disaster was caused by volcanic activity.
Mudflow victims accused Lapindo and the government of conspiring to ignor the issue, citing a lack of commitment to investigating the still unresolved case.
Deputy Chairman of the Porong Mudflow Victims Association Pitanto reiterated that both President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the Bakrie Family, who own the company, were "big liars" because they have failed to fulfill their promise to pay compensation to the victims.
"We remain pessimistic. How can the President censure the police over the investigation into the unresolved case when he cannot get one of his own ministers to settle the compensation?" he said, referring to Coordinating Minister of People's Welfare and President of Bakrie Holding Group Abdurizal Bakrie.
He said that more than 460 families were still staying at the Porong market building, the majority of which had not made deals with PT Minarak Lapindo Jaya, the subsidiary of Lapindo dealing with the compensation payments. None have received 100 percent of the promised compensation, he added.
Meanwhile, Yuniwati Teryana, a spokesman for Lapindo, gave no indication as to when the compensation payments would be completed and said they had been suspended because of financial problems stemming from the global financial crisis.
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