There was nothing more political and controversial than the official nomination on Monday evening of Timur Pradopo, as President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s sole candidate to fill the National Police chief post. Not only because Timur was promoted to a three-star general and appointed as the new chief of the Police Security Assurance Agency only three hours earlier, but also because he outclassed the more senior officers previously tipped as strong candidates — chief supervising inspector Comr. Gen. Nanan Soekarna, Police Training and Educational Institutions chief Comr. Gen. Imam Sujarwo and National Police chief detective Comr. Gen. Ito Sumardi.
So strong was the political atmosphere surrounding Timur’s nomination that the public may ponder the reasons behind his last-minute nomination. One thing was certain: Timur was younger than Nanan, Imam and Ito. (Timur is 54 years old, while Nanan and Imam are both 55 and Ito is 57.) The mandatory age for retirement in the police force is 58.
Timur is also the only one of the four who had held strategic command postings as a provincial police chief in Java, including in Banten, West Java, and Jakarta. Meanwhile, Nanan, Imam and Ito had all served as police chiefs in provinces outside Java. The last fact clearly indicates the continuously strong Java-centric sentiment in the appointment of high-ranking government, military and police officials in this country — a tradition that dates back to the era of former president Soeharto.
Forget all the political controversy behind Timur’s nomination, as the police force has faced and will continue to face tough challenges in the future. The ball is now in the House of Representatives’ court, which is due to conduct a “fit-and-proper” test for Timur. A worst-case scenario will be if the House rejects his nomination and asks the President to submit another candidate(s) to fill the post.
The House thus plays an important part in making sure Timur (or anyone else) definitely meets the criteria and has the capacity to lead and guide the police force in responding to the greater and more difficult challenges ahead.
The next police chief is expected to address to two main issues: Improving the police’s professionalism and restoring its tarnished image. Urgent tasks include tackling the increasing threat of terrorism, armed robbery and thuggery; ensuring security and order; and, last but not least, eliminating corruption within the rank and file of the force. (Reports by survey institutions and personal complaints filed by the general public to the media and the National Police Commission speak nothing but the truth).
The recruitment of Timur could have been political, but once he is endorsed by the House and inaugurated by the President, the police general should distance himself from all the political considerations surrounding his nomination and appointment and stick to the police’s own motto: To protect and to serve (the people).
To begin with, Timur (or whoever is eventually appointed) could learn from and follow in the footsteps of renowned police chief Hoegeng Imam Santoso (1968-1971) or Sutanto (2005-2008), who set good examples by upholding professionalism and integrity above all other considerations.
