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| President Joko Widodo welcomed a Japanese business delegation at the palace on Monday. (Antara Photo/Widodo S. Jusuf) |
Indonesian
President Joko Widodo will decide this week whether to stick with a
controversial pick for police chief, an episode that has undermined his political
support and put his graft-fighting credentials in question.
“I hope
this week I will decide,” Widodo, known as Jokowi, said Monday in an interview
in his office at his Dutch- colonial era residence in Jakarta. Asked which way
he was leaning, Jokowi laughed and replied “you’ll know after I decide.”
Just days
after Jokowi, 53, announced Budi Gunawan as his choice for police chief, the
anti-graft agency named the three- star general a corruption suspect. Jokowi
said Jan. 16 he had “postponed but not canceled” the nomination while the
agency investigated Gunawan, prompting criticism from anti-graft activists.
Jokowi, a
former small businessman who rose through the ranks of local government without
the support of the major parties, became president after a campaign pledging
zero tolerance on corruption and staking his reputation as a reformer.
Three
months into his term the furor over his police chief pick threatens to become a
distraction from his broader policy agenda in a parliament where he lacks a
majority.
Faced with
a public backlash if he proceeds with Gunawan, and with spiking tensions
between the anti-graft agency known as the KPK and the police, as the police
retaliate by moving against two senior KPK officials, Jokowi said he would
uphold the rule of law. “I must respect the legal process,” he said.
The rupiah
gained 0.4 percent, the most in two weeks, as investors look for a quick
conclusion to the dispute following Jokowi’s comments, said Gundy Cahyadi, an
economist at DBS Group Holdings Ltd. in Singapore.
Police
Investigations
As the KPK
investigates Gunawan, police have begun probes into senior officers at the
anti-graft body.
Police are
examining a complaint against KPK chairman Abraham Samad related to the
issuance of a passport, said Ronny Sompie, a spokesman for the national police,
and are looking at his meetings with politicians from Jokowi’s party. Samad was
touted as a potential vice-presidential candidate for Jokowi last year.
Relations
between the police and corruption fighters were once so marred by acrimony that
dozens of officers barged into the KPK to try and arrest an agent investigating
the chief traffic cop. Transparency International has described the police
force as the nation’s most corrupt institution.
Ratings
Slide
Gunawan’s
ties to former President Megawati Soekarnoputri could complicate the
decision-making process for Jokowi as he seeks to show he’s free from
influence. Gunawan was a personal adjutant of Megawati, who was president from
2001 to 2004 and heads the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, or PDI-P,
the party that backed Jokowi. Jokowi appointed Megawati’s daughter to a post in
the Cabinet.
With his
popularity sliding, former Jakarta governor Jokowi dismissed the possibility of
impeachment, which would need the support of more than three-quarters of
parliament. “There is still support from our party, our coalition,” he said,
sitting at a desk at Istana Merdeka — or Freedom Palace — in front of a bust of
India independence leader Mahatma Gandhi.
Former
president Abdurrahman Wahid, known as Gus Dur and Indonesia’s first elected
leader after the downfall of dictator Suharto, was impeached in 2001 after less
than two years in power, following claims of involvement in financial scandals.
Fallen
Popularity
Public
satisfaction with Jokowi fell from 71.7 percent in August to 42.3 percent 100
days into his term, a poll late last month by Lingkaran Survei Indonesia
showed. Of the 1,200 respondents, 53.1% were unhappy with his nomination of
Gunawan for police chief.
“This sort
of episode reminds us that he still needs to maintain a tight balancing act
between the interests of his own party while maintaining his popularity in the
public,” said Euben Paracuelles, an economist at Nomura Holdings Inc. in
Singapore. “The longer Jokowi allows this to drag on, the more difficult it
will be for him” to restore credibility on tackling graft, he said.
Jokowi
downplayed the prospect of an alliance with opposition parties, having met last
week with opposition leader Prabowo Subianto. Former army general Prabowo,
Jokowi’s rival in last year’s presidential race, heads the Gerindra Party and
his coalition has a parliamentary majority. Prabowo said in October he’d
support Jokowi while being a critic on policies that would harm the nation.
Asked if
the meeting could pave the way for an alliance, Jokowi said “there is no talk
about that.”
Economics,
Politics
“Last week
when I met Pak Prabowo we discussed about economics and also about politics,”
said Jokowi, who takes a break while in his car by playing phone games and
listening to Megadeth, Metallica and Queen.
As Jokowi
nears his decision, Gunawan missed an appearance at the KPK last week for
scheduled questioning. A hearing where he will seek to have the case dismissed
has been delayed to Feb. 9, Kompas reported on its website. He has denied any
wrongdoing.
The KPK was
set up in 2003 to put teeth into anti-graft efforts across the world’s
fourth-most populous nation. It has a 100 percent conviction rate and
prosecuted 72 members of parliament, six central bankers and dozens of chief
executives in the decade since it was formed in 2003, earning it the support of
ordinary Indonesians.
‘Save KPK’
KPK
Commissioner Bambang Widjojanto submitted his resignation Jan. 26 after police
arrested him for allegedly ordering witnesses to give false testimony to judges
ruling in a local election dispute in 2010. Widjojanto will be summoned for
police questioning Tuesday, Sompie said.
The KPK,
citing Widjojanto, said on Twitter that its fight against corruption would not
be silenced. After Widjojanto’s arrest, protesters gathered outside the
agency’s offices, shouting “save KPK”. Jokowi now needs to restore trust, said
Paul Rowland, a political consultant in Jakarta.
“Indonesians
are pretty forgiving in the end, but it depends on whether he takes enough
action on the things they care about,” said Rowland.
Whatever
his decision on Gunawan, Jokowi will seek to return focus to his planned
reforms, including changes to tax collection.
“As a
president I must make sure everything must be on track,” he said. “It’s only
been 100 days. My work is for five years, so there’s still a lot that hasn’t
been done.”
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