Jakarta. The National Police Commission, or Kompolnas, plans to summon a high-ranking police officer to clarify allegations that he had been recruited by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, or PDI-P, to support the party’s presidential candidate Joko Widodo in next month’s election, according to media reports.
“It will be better for Kompolnas to meet directly with the person in question. We realize that public opinion tended to politicize the meeting,” Kompolnas member Edi Hasibuan said in a report by Detik.com on Thursday, referring to a meeting between PDI-P politician Trimedya Panjaitan and National Police Academy chief Cmr. Gen. Budi Gunawa.
The meeting reportedly took place on Saturday evening in a restaurant in Menteng, Central Jakarta.
Trimedya and Budi have denied the allegations. Trimedya said the meeting had been coincidental and that the accusation had been heavily politicized by members of the opposing coalition before the July 9 presidential election.
Trimedya also claimed that a picture of him speaking with Budi had been taken and spread by Timboel Siregar from the All Indonesia Labor Organization.
“This indeed has been politicized. Logically, if I wanted to have a meeting, especially to discuss confidential matters, I wouldn’t have done it at a public place,” he said.
In a report by Gatra.com, Budi confirmed meeting Trimedya but denied that it had been deliberately planned to discuss political matters.
“We did not plan the meeting, and we were just there to eat,” he said, emphasizing that he was there with three of his staff for dinner. “There were many visitors that evening. When I entered the restaurant, I heard someone call my name and it appeared to be Trimedya. So I walked up to him, and we talked for a short time.”
Budi said that after the short conversation, he then sat on a different table with his.
“When he was about to finish eating, Trimedya came to us and chatted for a bit. He said he was dining with members of his church … so there was no political talks,” Budi explained.
Budi said after their short conversation that Trimedya also walked up to another table where General Elections Commission (KPU) commissioner Hadar Nafis Gumay had been sitting.
Like Budi, Hadar said the meeting had been a coincidence and involved no political agenda.
“I was sitting alone waiting [for my food], and saw that Trimedya was sitting with a group of people. I didn’t want [to walk up to him], but he later greeted me, asking how I was doing. We talked for a few seconds,” Hadar said, after the presidential debate on Monday, as quoted by Detik.com. He added that he was not acquainted with Budi.
Mustofa B. Nahrawardaya, a criminal expert from the Indonesia Crime Analyst Forum, alleged that the meeting at the restaurant had been set up to discuss the possible questions for the first presidential debate, which was held on Monday.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has previously insinuated that a political party has been trying to recruit high-ranking military officers to support one presidential candidate. Yudhoyono issued a harsh warning against military officers who tried to meddle in politics and called on them to uphold neutrality in the election.
Source/Fuente: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/kompolnas-said-summon-officer-allege...
