[Kabar-indonesia] 1 of 2: Tempo Cover Story: Crimebuster! - Sutanto’s Promises

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Tempo Cover Story

- Crimebuster!
- Sutanto's Promises
- The General's Exploits
- Too Soon to Relax

Tempo Magazine
No. 52/VI/August 29 - Sept 04, 2006

Opinion

Crimebuster!

A YEAR ago, not long after General Sutanto was named
Indonesia's new National Police Chief, the
tempointeraktif website carried an opinion poll on
this new appointment. The results were not
encouraging. Only 27.33 percent of respondents thought
that Sutanto, who was the Police Academy's top
graduate in 1973, would be able to stamp out organized
crime, including the drug trade and gambling. The
majority of respondents, 64.15 percent, indicated they
were unsure he would succeed.

Today, the public perception of General Sutanto's
capabilities seems to have gone up a few notches.
Gambling, which used to be rampant in several major
cities, has disappeared. Many major gambling bosses
interviewed by this magazine said they had switched to
other activities. And a major ecstasy factory has been
closed down. Several big names in narcotics syndicates
who were once believed to be immune from the law are
now locked up. Some of them have even been shot dead.
The drug trade still continues, but not as open as it
was before.

The improvement in the performance of the police is
not confined to drugs and gambling. The action taken
against the BNI embezzlers, which initially covered
only people directly involved, has now extended to
three senior police officers, including a three-star
general, all of whom are now awaiting trial. Even
people involved behind the scenes have been arrested
and questioned, despite their seniority.

As the number one police officer, General Sutanto is
also active in reforming the force. He has no qualms
about firing regional police chiefs who act
improperly, such as abusing women or allowing illegal
logging suspects to escape, despite the fact that he
is new on the job, and that one of the dismissed
officers was a classmate in the academy. The man who
graduated from the Armed Forces Academy the same year
as President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, may have the
same ambition as the legendary Police General Hoegeng.
As Chief of Police, Hoegeng worked hard to turn the
Indonesian Police Force into law enforcers who would
have the respect of the people.

Looking at the state of the police today, it is clear
that this noble objective is unlikely to be achieved
in the short term. Several important cases like the
murder of Munir, indications that 15 police officers
were involved in money laundering, and the case of the
illegal arms found at the home of the late Brig. Gen.
Koesmayadi, remain unresolved. This shows that efforts
at reforming the police still meet with strong
resistance from within.

This resistance cannot be taken lightly. Brig. Gen.
Kunarto once said that it would take 30 years to
reform the institution he once led, into a
professional force. As Chief of Police from 1991 to
1993, he knows what he's talking about. Examples from
developed countries show that producing a professional
police force needs more than a good commander. It also
needs external oversight.

In the United States, for example, there were already
police officers when the country declared its
independence in 1776, but they could only be called
professional after the establishment of the
International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)
in 1902. Richard Sylvester, head of the Washington,
DC, police force who became the first president of the
IACP, is recognized as the "father of the professional
US police" because of his successes in applying the
Pendleton Law, which banned "public partnership funds"
to be used as police operational costs, which had
previously been the norm. We hope that General Sutanto
will follow in the footsteps of Richard Sylvester.

Although it now seems probable that the proposal to
set the minimum monthly police salary above Rp8
million will not be approved, members of the House of
Representatives seem enthusiastic about efforts to
improve the law-enforcers' standard of living. At
least, funding for the police has recently been almost
doubled. Hopefully, this increased funding will result
in improved police performance.

This hope is not a pipe dream. History shows that
until the end of the 1950s the police had a good
reputation among the public, because officers acted
independently and were as yet unsullied by corruption.
At that time, police salaries were enough to live a
simple but dignified life. At that time too, Indonesia
followed a democratic political system. Later,
authoritarian governments and rampant inflation led
the police into becoming tools of a corrupt
administration.

There have been some changes. Indonesia is a
democracy. The police are once again independent,
after the break from the Indonesian Military, and
further reinforced by the new Indonesian Police Law.
The police budget has been raised significantly, and
this will continue to happen in the next few years.
So, there is no reason to be pessimistic about the
police putting it right. We just need to make sure
that General Sutanto stays on track, and to that end,
oversight and support from outside is needed.

Go get them, General! 

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Tempo Magazine
No. 52/VI/August 29 - Sept 04, 2006

Cover Story

Sutanto's Promises

It has been a year since General Sutanto became
National Police Chief. He set some key goals when he
took office on July 8, 2005, among them: clean up the
image of the police, fight terrorism and stamp out
gambling and illegal logging. The following is Tempo's
map of Sutanto's first year as Police Chief:

This scene takes place in Mesuji-a point along the
eastern Lampung-Palembang route:

Saturday, two weeks ago. In the heavy traffic, a man
jumps from a moving vehicle. His head spins on seeing
the truck drivers deferentially greeting police
officers at the bend in the road.

A marijuana raid and cargo check was taking place.
Each driver was asked to drive slowly. A short
conversation ensued. They would extend a hand, shaking
hands with the police, a Rp50,000 bill changed hands.
The "raid" was over...

The police officer then took a break in the police
car, which was parked at the turn in the road. At that
time, the man approached him.

Ilham Suhada (not his real name) has an athletic
build, dark skin, and does not show any signs of being
intimidated. Nevertheless, something was forthcoming.
The policeman forced him to "shake hands." Ilham
rebuked him. The officer was astonished that a driver
was brave enough to fight back. The cop intensified
his ruse.

It was at this point that Deputy Police Commissioner
(Captain) Ilham Suhada revealed his true identity. In
an instant, the enlisted officer-the lowest rank in
the police department-conducting the "raid" put on his
best behavior.

He saluted then shouted: "Ready to be faulted,
Commander! Just got off duty, looking for some extra
money rather than be idle!" Ilham said, imitating the
officer last Thursday, at the Tempo office.

l l l

Ilham Suhada and Sutanto are far apart in terms of age
and rank. Ilham, 30, is a deputy commissioner and a
teacher at a police training center. Sutanto, 56, is a
police general and National Police Chief.

The two have only met three times since Sutanto took
up his new job. However, these two officers, from two
different generations, are united by a common
objective: an esprit de corps, a spirit to ensure a
clean image of the police force.

General Sutanto became National Police Chief on July
8, 2005. Four days earlier, at his confirmation
hearing with the Law Commission of the House of
Representatives (DPR), Sutanto committed himself to
stamping out gambling and the drug trade. He
elaborated on his intention to put an end to illegal
logging. And he said that he was prepared to fight
terrorism. "We should not allow terrorism to be
pervasive," he said at the time. And since that time,
he has acted assertively to clean up the image of the
police, at least during his first year as Police
Chief.

The incident in Mesuji, involving the police officer
extorting money while in uniform, is a familiar tale
of the National Police-now 60 years old. Ilham Suhada
understands this situation. But Sutanto, who is more
experienced, understands it better.

It seems the media and the public are witnessing
interesting chapters in the professional life of
Sutanto since July 2005 when he became Police Chief.
Like a kung fu master, he was able to take down some
of his fellow graduates, taking several of his
colleagues into custody. Police generals are not
immune to his actions if they are found to abuse their
badges: Southeast Sulawesi Regional Police Chief,
General Edhy Soesilo, was fired three weeks ago,
following charges of indecent behavior. Sutanto
started on his new job by intimidating the gambling
world. Gambling financiers and bosses ridiculed him.
"Like a new fighter fresh from the hills. He doesn't
know how the game is played in Medan!" said a gambler
in Medan to Tempo at that time.

But Sutanto's threat to fire regional police chiefs
unable to get rid of gambling finally put some fear
into the perpetrators, even more so when the Police
Chief's men started conducting regular raids on
gambling dens.

The financiers began throwing in the towel: a number
of areas where gambling was rampant suddenly settled
down. The major gambling bosses in Jakarta, Medan, and
Batam, ran for cover.

Admittedly, the aggressive moves against the gambling
world were audacious, given that gambling-a well-known
public secret-is one source of the police's funds.
Money rolls in under the name of "operational funds"
for organizational units in the police force.

Insp. Gen. (ret) Ronny Lihawa, a member of the
National Police Commission, told Tempo that many
high-ranking officers opposed the move. According to
Ronny, they were afraid that police activities would
come to a halt without gambling money. "But after a
year, no police command [at the regency level] has
been closed down due to no more gambling," he said.

>From gambling, Sutanto, a fellow graduate of President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) in the Armed Forces
Academy Class of 1973, moved on to narcotics. The
world's third-largest ecstasy factory in the area of
Serang, Banten, was raided. Police frequently check
out nightclubs. Drug raids take place almost nightly.

Sutanto's next move was to head for the remote jungles
filled with illegal loggers-some of whom are backed by
the police. Many illegal wood dealers were arrested.
Last April, Sutanto said: "No more logging thefts this
year."

Some thought the Police Chief's statement was a bit
boastful. At the time this report was written, illegal
logging was still thriving.

The Papua and Sulawesi logging areas are next on
Sutanto's 'to do' list. And what about Kalimantan?
This is the toughest battlefield yet if Sutanto wants
to have a showdown with the illegal log dealers.

In 2005, police processed 985 cases of illegal
logging, involving 1,229 suspects from around
Indonesia. More than 85,000 logs and 27,000 cubic
meters of lumber have been confiscated. Also
confiscated were 117 vessels used for the illegal
transportation of logs, 363 of them trucks, 73 pieces
of heavy machinery, and 37 sets of sawing machines.

In the first two months of this year, according to
Sutanto's report to the DPR, more than 500 people
involved in illegal logging have been arrested. Among
them are three dealers who are suspected of funding
and leading the deforestation.

Unauthorized logging is a large-scale crime. According
to the EIA, an environmental investigation
organization based in London, each year Indonesia
loses forested areas worth more than an estimated US$3
billion.

Sutanto's action against illegal logging has recently
targeted a number of his own people in the police. The
Professional and Security Division, the National
Police Department's internal supervisory body, is
currently investigating a number of regional police
chiefs suspected of involvement in the illegal log
network.

Insp. Gen. Alexius Gordon Mogot, head of the division,
has formed five units to investigate problem officers.
Each unit consists of seven people, three at the rank
of senior commissioner (colonel). According to a Tempo
source, three of Gordon's units assigned to illegal
logging have been dispatched to East and Central
Kalimantan.

A number of police generals and high-ranking police
officers were let go for various violations. For
instance, Brig. Gen. Samuel Ismoko, a subordinate of
the head of the Criminal Investigation Bureau, Comr.
Gen. Suyitno Landung, has been in custody since the
end of last year.

According to Gordon, as of last June the Professional
& Security Division has questioned three high-ranking
officers and scores of mid-ranking officers. What were
they involved in? "There were cases of illegal
logging, sexual harassment, and corruption," he said.

This does not mean that Sutanto's report card is full
of stars. Allegedly, he failed at the conceptual
level. One criticism is leveled by retired Sr. Comr.
Dr. Bambang Widodo Umar, a member of the teaching
staff for Post-Graduate Studies for Police Science at
the University of Indonesia. According to Bambang,
Sutanto seems to be building up the image of the
police just by increasing their number of
achievements. "Whereas," said this retired police
colonel, "change should be made at the institutional
level."

Bambang also feels that Sutanto does not have people
he can rely on, because there are still many
high-ranking officers in the second level of the
police force who are "old hands."

This policeman and professor of sociology said that
Sutanto can only rely on a few high-ranking officers
in the cleaning up of internal police affairs. They
include the Inspector for General Supervision, Comr.
Gen. Yusuf Manggabarani, Deputy for Human Resources,
Insp. Gen. Ahmad Barmawi, and Insp. Gen. Gordon Mogot.

Neta S. Pane, head of the Indonesia Police Watch
Presidium, agrees with Bambang. He said that many
police generals at National Police Headquarters do not
like Sutanto. They are officers who were appointed by
General Da'i Bachtiar, the previous National Police
Chief.

Sutanto, according to Neta, has been kept out of elite
police circles for too long. As a result, this former
East Java Police Chief does not understand the latest
power arrangements among the top police brass. This
makes Sutanto the "lone ranger" on Jalan Trunojoyo-the
location of National Police HQ.

Unfortunately, Sutanto, who was on a trip to
Australia, could not be asked for confirmation as of
Saturday morning, when this report was finalized.
However, the head of the National Police Public
Relations Division, Insp. Gen. Paulus Purwoko, told
Tempo that there was no conflict between Sutanto and
"Da'i's people" at National Police HQ.

Paulus said that Sutanto's firm stance has made many
parties uneasy. However, he feels OK that the risk
taken will change the long-established culture in the
police. "The police have decided to take that risk,"
he said.

Reportedly, Sutanto's changes have only impacted the
uppermost levels. Ronny Lihawa cited street hoodlums
who remain untouched by police. "This is small-time
crime, but it seriously disturbs the public's feelings
of security," said this expert staff member of the
Indonesian Crime Prevention Body, which is led by
former National Police Chief, General Da'i Bachtiar.
Neta S. Pane feels the same. He indicated that illegal
retribution fees are still being collected in every
region.

Nursjahbani Katjasungkana, a member of the DPR's Law
Commission, who attended an internal discussion
regarding the image of the police, held at the Tempo
office last week, asked that Sutanto be more effective
in reforming the police. This could be done, for
instance, by speeding up the involvement of the public
in helping police work through the Civil Policing
Program.

Nursjahbani praised several of Sutanto's efforts.
However, after considering his performance from a
number of aspects, this lawyer and member of the
National Awakening Party concluded: "For the first
year, he still gets red marks."

Budi Setyarso, Purnomo G. Ridho, Ramidi, Wahyu
Dhyatmika, Erwin Daryanto, HYK

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Tempo Cover Story

The General's Exploits

July 8 2005
Sutanto takes over the post of National Police Chief
from his predecessor, General Da'i Bachtiar.

July 21 2005
The Tebing Tinggi Police Chief in North Sumatra, is
fired on account of involvement in a sugar smuggling
case.

July 29 2005
The Financial Transaction Report & Analysis Center
reports problems with the bank accounts of 15
high-ranking police officers. The case remains
unsettled.

October 1 2005
Bombs explode in Jimbaran and Kuta, Bali.

October 2005
The National Police Anti-Terrorism Team shoots and
kills Dr. Azahari in Batu, East Java. This Malaysian
was a suspect in a number of bombings in Indonesia.

October 27 2005
Former Director for Special Economics Brig. Gen.
Samuel Ismoko is detained on the accusation of
accepting a bribe in the BNI fraud case.

November 11 2005
Police raid an ecstasy factory, said to be the third
largest in the world, in Serang, Banten.

November 25 2005
General Sutanto approves the resignation of Comr. Gen.
Binarto, the Inspector for General Supervision at
National Police HQ. He is reported to be involved in
the release of a suspect in the smuggling of diesel
fuel in East Java.

December 22 2005
Former head of the Criminal Investigation Bureau Comr.
Gen. Suyitno Landung is held as a suspect in a bribery
case in the BNI fraud case.

February 6 2006
Four people suspected of corrupting Bank Indonesia
Liquidity Assistance funds are taken to the office of
the President, popularly known as the "red carpet
corruptor scandal."

February 8 2006
Police intelligence monitors the activities of DPR
members who came up with the idea of using their right
to make inquiries on the importation of rice.

April 29 2006
Two terrorist suspects, Jabir and Abdul Hadi, are
killed during a raid at their residence in Wonosobo,
Central Java.

May 22 2006
Prajogo Pangestu and Henry Pribadi, two competing
business tycoons, are brought together at the National
Police HQ in South Jakarta. 

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Tempo Magazine
No. 52/VI/August 29 - Sept 04, 2006

Cover Story

Too Soon to Relax

East Java was Sutanto's most difficult testing ground
in a career that spans two presidencies.

A SMILE graced Sutanto's face when the news arrived on
the night of November 9, 2005. The Detachment 88
Anti-Terror Squad reported that they had just brought
down the number one bomb maker in the terrorist world,
Dr. Azahari Bin Husin, 48, at Kota Batu in East Java.

National Police Chief, General Sutanto, immediatley
flew to Malang and then on to Batu, a small health
resort city in a mountainous area near Malang.
"Azahari is one of those who are among the dead," he
announced, saying it was good news for the whole
country, and the world.

Batu's air is unbelievably cool. But the warmth in
Sutanto's heart was boundless. The report he sent was
quickly greeted by congratulations from various
countries already sick and tired of terrorism.

Azahari's death was one of the bright points during
the first year of Sutanto's career. The raid on the
Flamboyan Vila in Batu that resulted in the death of
two members of the terrorist group has been recorded
in the annals of the police force. After all, East
Java had not always sided with Sutanto, now 56 years
old.

When he held the post of Sidoarjo District Police
Chief (1992-1994)-then as a police
lieutenant-colonel-he was confronted with a major
case: the death of Marsinah, a worker from the PT
Catur Putera Surya watch factory in Porong, Sidoarjo.
To this day the police have been unable to discover
the identity of her murderer.

Several years passed. He returned to East Java to take
up the position of Regional Police Chief (2000-2002).
During this period, Sutanto succeeded in thwarting a
plan by suicide troops supporting then President
Abdurrahman Wahid to "attack" Jakarta. They canceled
their plans after Sutanto met with a number of ulama
(Islamic scholars) from the Islamic mass organization,
Nahdlatul Ulama, Wahid's support base.

There were, however, a number of riots between
different groups and politcal parties during his
posting in East Java. His tenure even left behind a
poor record with the press after his subordinates
acted outside their authority when breaking up a
protest by PT Maspion workers. Dozens of police from
the Sidoarjo District Police set upon and beat a
Kompas journalist, Wisnu Dewa Brata, in Buduran.

Before he headed the East Java Regional Police,
Sutanto was the North Sumatra Regional Police Chief
(2000). There he worked zealously to eradicate
gambling, narcotics and smuggling. The frequent raids
he conducted irked the port authorities. In Medan for
example, he was unable to completely eradicate the
gambling network before he left for East Java.

The course of Sutanto's career is regarded as being
complete, having taken up the police chief positions
from the sectoral to the provincial level. One task
which may have been the entry to the peak of his
career was as former President Suharto's aide
(1995-1998)-although he also had a decent school
report card: top graduate of the Armed Forces Academy
Class of 1973. A friend from the same class, Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono, who was the top graduate of the
Army Academy-is now at the helm of the nation.

Political upheavals almost caused him to be "parked"
as the head of the National Police Education &
Training Institute (2002-2005). When General Yudhoyono
became President, Sutanto's name began circulating
again and he was entrusted with the job of managing
the operations at the National Narcotics Agency (BNN).

After being assigned to BNN for around five months,
Yudhoyono proposed Sutanto as the candidate to replace
then-National Police Chief, General Da'i Bachtiar. All
the members of the House Commission II (43 people), by
acclamation, approved the President's proposal.

A year has now passed. Azahari is dead. But his
partner, Noordin Mohamad Top-nicknamed "The Orator"-is
still active and spreading the threat of terrorism.
And terrorism is only one among a mountain of tasks to
be implemented by the National Police Chief.

For General Sutanto, there is still a long way to go
before he can relax and sleep soundly.

Agung Rulianto 

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