President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo inaugurated Gen. Budi Gunawan as the nation’s new spy chief on Friday, replacing Sutiyoso. Budi, who previously served as National Police deputy chief and held the rank of Comr. Gen., was also promoted to the rank of four-star general by a presidential decree. Usually, only the National Police chief has the rank of four-star general.

"Perhaps [the promotion] was granted as compensation because he failed to become National Police chief. The new rank could also have been given to respect Budi's ability. If so, then it is more politically driven than a professional assessment," Bambang Widodo Umar, an expert in the police from University of Indonesia, said on Sunday as reported by kompas.com.

Budi was on his way to lead the police in 2015 after receiving approval from the House of Representatives. However, Jokowi canceled his nomination after the Corruption Eradication Commission named him a suspect in an alleged corruption case.

Bambang stressed that Budi's main duty as BIN chief was to protect state interests, not to support political parties.

National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian has taken the promotion lightly, claiming that despite the fact that there are now two active police generals, he and Budi worked for different institutions. (rin)

Popular

Decline in Indonesia’s press freedom alarming

Govt suspends Sam Altman’s biometric identity project over legal concerns

Jakartans rush to join ‘orange troops’ amid job scarcity