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span class="caption" style="width: 486px;">Sylviana Murni: (Antara/Zabur Karuru)Governor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has named civil servant Sylviana Murni as the acting chief of the Jakarta Public Order Agency (Satpol PP).

Sylviana, whose last post was as assistant to the city secretary for administrative affairs, was previously appointed as the mayor of Central Jakarta in 2008, which made her the first woman to ever to lead one of the city’s five municipalities.

She took over the agency, which has been reviled for its strongarm approach to law enforcement, from retiring chief Effendi Anas at a change-of-command ceremony at City Hall in Central Jakarta on Friday.

The outgoing chief has apparently been a tough man to replace. “Effendi reached retirement age four years ago. His term of office has been extended twice,” Jokowi said.

While denying that Sylviana was appointed to change the agency’s image, the governor said that he wanted to set a new course for Satpol PP, which has been criticized for its forceful crackdowns on street vendors, squatters and transsexual prostitutes, among many others.

“Anyone who becomes the chief of Satpol PP should create new patterns, paradigms and traditions that are strict but not violent,” he said.

While campaigning for governor, Jokowi said he would use a softer approach when regulating street vendors and would ban Satpol PP from using force to maintain order.

Sylviana’s appointment was not a first for the governor; he appointed a woman as Satpol PP chief when he was mayor of Surakarta, Central Java.

The Jakarta Satpol PP has been slammed by officials and the people for its use of excessive force.

In April 2010, for example, three Satpol PP officers were killed in a riot that erupted when more than 1,000 officers descended on Tanjung Priok to evict squatters from site containing the grave of a noted Muslim figure.

The personnel, equipped with batons, have also allegedly used excessive force when relocating street vendors.

Speaking at the ceremony, Sylviana said that she would prioritize dialogue and not use violence to maintain public order. “My working philosophy is to work smart but with a heart,” she said.

She said that Satpol PP would continue to cooperate with other city agencies, such as the Transportation Agency and city-owned market operator PD Pasar Jaya. “I don’t mind if a number of our personnel are deployed to other agencies because it is a part of cooperation.”

The acting chief also said that there was no specific reason behind her appointment. “The agency was under my department.”

Sylviana, the winner of the Abang None local beauty pageant in 1981, started her career as a civil servant with Civic Training Agency in 1985.

She said that she did want to speculate whether she would be appointed as the permanent Satpol PP chief, citing that such a decision was the governor’s prerogative. (cor)