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Indonesian President Denies Plan to Arrest Defiant Police Chief
Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid Friday denied media reports that he had ordered Coordinating Minister for Political, Social and Security Affairs Agum Gumelar and National Police Deputy Chief Commissioner General Chaeruddin Isnaeni to arrest defiant National Police Chief General S. Bimantoro for insubordination.
In a dialogue after Friday prayer in Cirebon, West Java province, the president blamed the Indonesian media for fabricating stories that he had ordered the arrest of Bimantoro.
The president explained that Bimantoro had committed an act of insubordination.
"I have asked the security coordinating minister to take legal action against him (Bimantoro). But, it's up to Agum Gumelar to decide what type of legal action he will take, not me," he said.
As president, he had to delegate responsibility to his aides, the president was quoted by the Antara News Agency as saying.
Wahid admitted that there was a proposal to arrest Bimantoro, but it did not come from him.
On Thursday afternoon, presidential spokesman Yahya Cholil Staquf announced that the president had instructed Agum and Chaeruddin to take legal action against Bimantoro and Jakarta Police Chief Inspector General Sofyan Jakob for insubordination. The news, however, spread and it was understood that the president had ordered the arrest of the two police officers.
Responding to the instruction, Agum said that he had no authority to arrest Bimantoro and Jakob as he was not the direct superior of the two officers.
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