He should act like the eagle with its sharp vision and not like a sleeping cave bat."Jakarta (ANTARA News) - A real leader must have the courage to face risks while arriving at decisions, Chairman of the KPK-Polri (Corruption Eradication Commission-National Police) Independent Team Ahmad Syafii Maarif stated.
"There are risks involved, whether (the President) installs him (Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan), or does not install him. He should act like the eagle with its sharp vision and not like a sleeping cave bat," Syafii Maarif told the media at his Maarif Institute on Tuesday night.
He pointed out that President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) took a long time to take a decision regarding the new police chief, as a result of which the polemics between the KPK and Polri protracted.
"It is the president who will decide the impact of the polemics," Syafii Maarif, the former chairman of the second-largest Muslim organization Muhammadiyah and popularly known as "Buya Maarif," noted.
He suggested that the president should take into account the aspirations of the people while deciding the name of the new police chief. Jokowi should not bow down to the pressures he is facing.
Yet, Buya also called on all sides to abide by the law in force.
"All must respect the legal process. After all, criticism has been voiced by several legal experts. But, one should not make the water even murkier," he emphasized.
Earlier, Junimart Girsang, a legislator of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) and a member of Commission III of the House of Representatives (DPR), visited the Maarif Institute to directly extend his apology to Buya Maarif in front of the media crew members.
Junimart apologized for his previous statement labeling Buya Maarif as an unclear figure whose position is not known with regard to the KPK-Polri polemics.
For his statement, Junimart sought pardon from Buya Maarif since it was considered to be offensive.
Regarding the police chiefs issue, Junimart is of the viewpoint that Jokowi should appoint Budi Gunawan as the police chief.
"In my mind, Budi Gunawan must be installed," he affirmed.
The standoff occurred when the KPK named Budi Gunawan a suspect in a corruption case not long after Jokowi nominated him as a sole candidate to fill in the police chiefs position.
The Criminal Investigation Department of the National Police Headquarters retaliated later by naming KPK Deputy Chairman Bambang Widjojanto as a suspect in a false testimony case.
However, the South Jakarta District Court has ruled in a hearing of a pretrial suit filed by Budi Gunawan that the KPK naming Gunawan as a suspect was illegitimate.
In the meantime, the South and West Sulawesi Regional Police named KPK Chairman Abraham Samad a suspect in an alleged document falsification case.
(Uu.A014/INE/KR-BSR/O001)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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