T

he National Police Commission (Kompolnas), which is tasked by law to advise the President on the appointment of the National Police chief, has begun interviewing high-ranking police officers as potential candidates.

Among the officers being interviewed for the top police position is the newly installed detective division head at the National Police, Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso, a controversial figure at the center of a standoff between the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the police.

Waseso is seen to have spearheaded the criminalization of KPK leaders.

The nomination of Waseso, who is also a confidant of Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan, whose candidacy will likely be dropped by President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo, has been opposed by many.

Police expert Bambang Widodo Umar, who is a member of an independent team that has been advising Jokowi on how to deal with the current KPK-police standoff, has questioned the nomination of Waseso given his thin resume as a provincial police chief.

A former chief of the Gorontalo Police, Waseso was only recently promoted to three-star general, a move seen as paving his way to becoming the country'€™s next top police officer.

Responding to objections to Waseso'€™s possible candidacy, Cabinet Secretary Andi Widjajanto said Kompolnas'€™ recommendation was nonbinding and that Jokowi had the prerogative to pick the candidate.

Andi said that Kompolnas, which is expected to give recommendations to Jokowi on the criteria for a police chief, would scrutinize the candidates especially carefully, starting by asking the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) to provide reports on their wealth.

Andi added, however, that the President had yet to receive Kompolnas'€™ list of candidates.

'€œSince the President'€™s departure [for his state visit abroad] until today, there has been no communication between the President and Kompolnas,'€ Andi revealed.

Kompolnas member M. Nasser said his office had started interviewing candidates on Thursday, including Inspector Comr. Gen. Dwi Priyatno, whom many believe to be the frontrunner in the race, as well as the National Police'€™s security maintenance division head, Comr. Gen. Putut Eko Bayuseno.

'€œAs of this midday, there are two [candidates] who have been interviewed, Dwi and Putut,'€ Nasser said.

He added, however, that the interviews were being conducted only to anticipate Jokowi'€™s canceling the inauguration of Budi Gunawan, the President'€™s sole pick for the next police chief who is now a graft suspect.

Nasser also confirmed that Kompolnas had dropped Gunawan and Comr. Gen. Suhardi Alius, the new head of the National Resilience Institute (Lemhannas), from the candidates'€™ list. Suhardi was recently replaced by Waseso as the detective unit chief following speculation that Suhardi had aided the KPK in its move against Gunawan.

'€œIt is because Budi [Gunawan] is now a suspect, while Suhardi is too junior,'€ Nasser explained.

Later on Friday, another Kompolnas member, Adrianus Meliala, said that the commission had completed its interviews of four candidates and that it would soon submit its recommendation to the President.

'€œThe result will be submitted to the President soon. [However] it [the result] can'€™t be disclosed [to the public] because it is exclusively for the President,'€ Adrianus said.

Jokowi recently said that he would announce his decision regarding the controversial nomination of Gunawan as police chief amid speculation that he might pick a new candidate.

Ahmad Syafii Maarif, another member of the independent team, has stated that Jokowi will not install Budi as National Police chief.