T

he nation waits to see how President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo will handle the inevitable political furor over who is to take charge of the National Police.

Speculation continues to circulate that Jokowi will extend the tenure of National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti, which, if carried out, will be the first time this has happened since the end of the New Order era.

Such speculation has grown even stronger as Jokowi’s aides tasked with assessing potential candidates to succeed Badrodin have denied it in public but, behind the scenes, continued to search for input as well as legal advice from experts to justify a decision to keep Badrodin in his current post at least until next year.

The public reticence displayed by Jokowi and his aides, including the National Police Commission (Kompolnas) has ignited a debate over whether it is right for Badrodin to maintain the leadership of the police after he is due for retirement.

“It will definitely delay regeneration within the police institution, which could cause internal rifts,” said Muradi, an observer of police, defense and security matters at the Bandung-based Padjajaran
University.

Muradi explained that unhealthy competition as a result of conflict among elites within the police may lead to internal dissension against Badrodin, which could of course pose a threat to the country’s stability.

“Therefore, I don’t see any reasonable arguments to justify the plan to extend Badrodin’s tenure. It amounts to no less than the President politicizing the institution of the police,” he said.

In a separate interview with The Jakarta Post, outspoken activist Haris Azhar said the dilemma over selecting Badrodin’s successor was rooted in the controversial figure of his deputy, Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan, who is next in line for the police’s top post.

Haris, the coordinator of the Jakarta-based Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) explained that Budi, the former adjutant of Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chief Megawati Soekarnoputri during her time as president, was perceived as a representative
of that party.

A row between the party and Jokowi broke out last year when Jokowi decided to install Badrodin, not Budi as promoted by the ruling party, due to the latter’s problems with the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

The KPK had named him a suspect in a bribery case, although this status was later annulled by a pretrial ruling.

“I’m afraid that Jokowi will use the controversy surrounding Budi Gunawan in a power play with Megawati,” Haris said.

Regardless of whether Jokowi will decide to keep Badrodin or opt for a new candidate, the President will have to face the PDI-P if he chooses not to endorse Budi.

PDI-P lawmaker and a member of House of Representatives Commission III that oversees the National Police, Masinton Pasaribu, said the ruling party supported Budi.

In several interviews, Masinton argued that unlike last year, there was no longer any reason to oppose the nomination of Budi.

“National Police deputy chief Budi Gunawan is the right candidate to become the next chief out of all the available three-star generals because he has had the experience of leading the police alongside Badrodin Haiti,” Masinton said. “The two of them have created solidity in the institution, which will remain under Budi’s leadership”.