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Police's loyalty to President non-negotiable: Tito
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Loyalty: President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (left), accompanied by National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian (right), enters a hall where he will give security directives to police officials during an event at the Police Higher Education College (PTIK) in Jakarta on Nov. 8. (Antara/Yudhi Mahatma)
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span lang="EN-AU" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:#313534;letter-spacing:.1pt">National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian has called on his subordinates nationwide to remain loyal to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and reject voices from outside telling them the contrary.
“As servants of the country, we must maintain our loyalty [to the President], especially when the country is experiencing [unpredictable political] dynamics,” Tito said on Friday when addressing members of the police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob) at the unit’s headquarters in Depok, West Java.
Tito took to the stage in a reception to welcome President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, who would visit the compound later in the day.
In his remarks, Tito repeatedly emphasized on the non-negotiable loyalty of all members of the police institution to serve the legitimate government under President Jokowi, who also serves as the commander of the National Police.
He specifically cited the crucial role of all Brimob personnel to protect the President, as well as the nation in times of rebellion against the legitimate authority of the state.
"You are the hope when insurgency emerges," he said. "Our highest commander will come and deliver his instruction, which we must obey".
(Read also: Jakarta cools off after violent rally)
Although Tito did not elaborate the context of his speech, his words seem to reflect the tension and threats against Jokowi's administration following an initially peaceful mass demonstration in front of the State Palace on Nov. 4 that suddenly turned violent.
Jokowi, unlike his predecessor Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, is a civilian with no military background.
As a follow-up to the Nov. 4 rally, Muslim groups have pledged to stage another rally on Nov. 25 to put pressure on the Jakarta Police to expedite their probe into the alleged blasphemy involving incumbent Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama.
Earlier this week, Jokowi visited the headquarters of the National Police, the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus), moves that many see as an effort to send signals that the President is in charge of the situation. (hwa)
