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Rights group doubts Budi Gunawan's integrity
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Man behind the mask: Yogyakarta Anti-corruption Civil Society Coalition activists wear face masks of Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan with crosses through them in protest of his appointment as deputy National Police chief. President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo nominated Budi as the nation's next spy chief on Friday, causing another wave of protests from activists. (JP/Bambang Muryanto)
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he Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) has questioned Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan's nomination as the next State Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief, saying that Budi's integrity is questionable as he was once a graft suspect.
Kontras deputy coordinator for strategy and mobilization Puri Kencana Putri said that even though the South Jakarta District Court had invalidated Budi's status as a suspect in a pretrial petition, the graft case might be reactivated should other evidence be found in the future.
"It should be ensured that the next BIN chief doesn't have the potential to cause trouble [...] It would be shameful if in the future [Budi] was hit with legal cases as it would disturb the functioning of state institutions and decrease public trust," Puri said on Friday.
The rights group further criticized President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo for nominating Budi, who is currently serving as National Police deputy chief, saying that Jokowi had "again" decided to name a public official without considering his track record.
In the recent cabinet reshuffle, Jokowi appointed Wiranto, who has a questionable human rights track record, as coordinating political, legal, and security affairs minister, as well as giving the energy and mineral resources minister post to Arcandra Tahar, who shortly after his appointment was dismissed for allegedly holding dual citizenship, Puri said. (evi)
