REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The ruling party PDI Perjuangan (PDI-P) asks President Joko Widodo to install Comr.Gen. Budi Gunawan as new police chief after the South Jakarta district court decided that corruption charge against the three-star police general is not valid.
Budi Gunawan, a police chief candidate filed a lawsuit demanding a pretrial against the decision of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPk) that charged him with corruption.
Judge Sarpin Rizaldi decided on Monday in favor of Budi Gunawan against the decision of the KPK .
Budi's installation has been delayed by the president amid heating conflict between KPK and police .
The conflict continued for over month with in what seemed to be a retaliation police arresting one of the KPK leaders on charge of false testimony in a Constitutional Court session in 2010.
Police also "received" reports charging other KPK leaders with different criminal offenses.
The KPK-police conflicts puts President Jokowi in a difficult situation.
His latest pledge was that he would make his final decision after the pretrial which ended on Monday in favor of Budi Gunawan.
"Has to be installed . This is the duty of the president to install Mr Budi today," a chairman of PDI-P Trimedya Panjaitan said here on Monday.
Jokowi is a cadre of PDIP that nominated him as presidential candidate for the last presidential election.
Trimedya said there is no reason for Jokowi to cancel installation of Budi Gunawan.
He said he is confident that Jokowi is consistent with his promise to make his decision after the pretrial .
Meanwhile, political observer Karel Susetyo said President Jokowi should immediately install Budi Gunawan after the court gave its decision.
"Everyone should accept the the court's decision and installment of Budi Gunawan should put an end to the polemic over the police general," Karel, the executive director of POINT Indonesia, said .
Budi Gunawan was the sole candidate proposed last month by the president to the House of Representatives (DPR).
However, the day before the Commission III of the DPR held the fit and proper test for Budi Gunawan , KPK declared the candidate a corruption suspect.
The DPR, despite the status of being a suspect, gave its approval for Budi Gunawan as a new police chief.
Karel said with the pretrial result on Monday, President Jokowi had no reason to delay installation of Budi Gunawan.
"With the installation of new chief , police should be solid again in carrying out their duties," he said.
As for the legal case against the KPK leader let the law takes it own way without interference by the president.
Law and political observer from the University of Nusa Cendana (Undana) in Kupang Nikolaus Pira Bunga also spoke in favor of installing Budi Gunawan.
"In fact Budi Gunawan is already police chief after the approval given by DPR , but the president delayed the installation to show his respect for the law," Nikolaus said .
Installation of Budi Gunawan, however, is likely to draw strong public protest.
In addition, police under Budi Gunawan is not expected to be able to have good relations with KPK after the conflict.
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