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Police, Army hold parade in veiled warning to Indonesian President
Thousands of Indonesian police and army soldiers paraded in central Jakarta on Tuesday in a thinly-veiled warning to embattled President Abdurrahman Wahid against co-opting the country`s security forces to avoid impeachment for alleged corruption.
Thousands of Indonesian police and army
soldiers paraded in central Jakarta on Tuesday in a thinly-veiled warning
to embattled President Abdurrahman Wahid against co-opting the
country's security forces to avoid impeachment for alleged
corruption.
The parade, held in a park just opposite the presidential palace,
followed Wahid's order last Friday to sack national police chief
General Surojo Bimantoro after police shot several pro-Wahid
supporters during a riot in east Java.
The move caused a near-revolt within the national police, whose senior 100 officers signed a letter refusing to accept the order. There are widespread fears Wahid will replace his police and armed forces chiefs with more compliant officers who would agree to declare martial law to halt his impeachment for alleged corruption by the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) on August 1.
But the national police's open defiance of Wahid, and warnings by his army generals against declaring martial law appeared to show the president has lost control of his security forces. Bimantoro has refused to resign and is officially listed as non-active, although he appeared to still be calling the shots at national police headquarters.
Jakarta city police chief inspector-general Sofyan Jacoeb, who presided over the parade, said his forces still considered Bimantoro as their leader and would not accept orders stating otherwise.
Indonesia's parliament, which has twice censured Wahid and requested he be impeached, rallied to the national police chief's defence, noting that Wahid could not legally fire him without legislators' approval. Many political analysts agree that Wahid would be committing political suicide if he attempted to declare martial law, because his security forces would not enforce it and the MPR would convene the special session immediately to remove him.
The move caused a near-revolt within the national police, whose senior 100 officers signed a letter refusing to accept the order. There are widespread fears Wahid will replace his police and armed forces chiefs with more compliant officers who would agree to declare martial law to halt his impeachment for alleged corruption by the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) on August 1.
But the national police's open defiance of Wahid, and warnings by his army generals against declaring martial law appeared to show the president has lost control of his security forces. Bimantoro has refused to resign and is officially listed as non-active, although he appeared to still be calling the shots at national police headquarters.
Jakarta city police chief inspector-general Sofyan Jacoeb, who presided over the parade, said his forces still considered Bimantoro as their leader and would not accept orders stating otherwise.
Indonesia's parliament, which has twice censured Wahid and requested he be impeached, rallied to the national police chief's defence, noting that Wahid could not legally fire him without legislators' approval. Many political analysts agree that Wahid would be committing political suicide if he attempted to declare martial law, because his security forces would not enforce it and the MPR would convene the special session immediately to remove him.
Indonesia's parliament, angered by Wahid's inept management and
failure to lead an economic recovery since taking office 20 months
ago, are using circumstantial evidence of the President's
involvement in two multi-million dollar scandals as a pretext to
remove him.
Bureau Report