The 53-year-old police chief is now the President’s most effective aide not only on security but also economic and political matters. He may have replaced Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Gen. (ret) Luhut Pandjaitan as the President’s security czar and therefore has a great opportunity to go far beyond his current post.

Many probably do not realize that Tito has practically become the country’s second-most powerful man after Jokowi, and firebrand Muslim cleric Rizieq Shihab deserves the biggest credit for Tito’s political fortune.

Don’t laugh. One day, just before the presidential election in 2019, Tito will be seen visiting Rizieq at the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) headquarters in Petamburan, Central Jakarta, or somewhere else. Tito will hug FPI leader Rizieq and even kiss his cheek, because if not for Rizieq, President Jokowi would not have picked Tito as his running mate in the presidential race. And of course Tito will ask for the cleric’s blessing.

Such a scenario of course is based on current political development, which has witnessed Tito emerge as the President’s right hand man who managed to tame opposition and anti-government groups with minimum political risk.

“Habib, thank you for all street demonstrations that you led, your [hate] speeches and anti- everything acts. Now I stand a big chance of winning the vice presidential post precisely because of your tireless efforts to destabilize the government and frighten minorities,” Tito, who will be 55 at that time, tells the FPI leader.

Born in the South Sumatra capital of Palembang on Oct. 26, 1964, Tito graduated from the Police Academy in 1987. He holds Master degrees from the United Kingdom and New Zealand and a PhD from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University. He specializes in counterterrorism.

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