Jokowi to decide on Budi Gunawan’s fate

JAKARTA. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is yet to decide whether to swear in Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan as the new police chief while he waits for the House of Representatives’ official decision and a recommendation from the National Police Commission (Kompolnas).

“We respect the legal process conducted by the Corruption Eradication Commission on one side but we also respect the political process that is still going on at the House on the other side,” he said at press conference here on Wednesday evening.

Although all political party members of House Commission III except the Democratic Party unanimously approved Budi to be appointed the new police chief after screening him on Wednesday morning, the House is scheduled to hold a plenary session on Thursday to officially announce its stance on Budi.

The President said he would make a decision soon after the House gave its political stand on Budi’s nomination and Kompolnas gave its recommendation after the KPK declared Budi a graft suspect on Tuesday.

The Democrats refused to participate in Budi’s confirmation hearing after the KPK’s announcement.

Budi’s nomination became a hot topic among the general public and public officials when the KPK declared him a graft suspect on Tuesday, just a day before Budi underwent House screening.

State Secretary Pratikno said the final decision would be the President’s, who had the prerogative to nominate another candidate, while Kompolnas commissioner Edi Saputra Hasibuan said the commission would likely recommend that the President drop Budi’s nomination and propose other candidate to the House.

Many analysts and legislators have called on the President to swear in Budi as the new police chief to replace Gen. Sutarman, but others are of the opinion that the President should nominate someone else to appease the public.