By Rochimawati
JAKARTA
The deputy chairman of Indonesia’s anti-corruption commission (KPK) was arrested Friday for providing false testimony in a 2010 case - ten days after the presidential nominee for national police chief was named by the KPK as a suspect in a bribery case.
Analysts immediately condemned the arrest, Oce Madril, a researcher at the Center for the Study of Anti-Corruption, telling The Anadolu Agency Friday that it suggested a reactivation of the rivalry between the country's main law enforcement bodies
"This event is such a model case of gecko versus crocodile from a few years ago, we condemn these actions," he said.
In 2012, Detective chief Comr. Gen. Susno Duaji coined the phrase "cicak lawan buaya" to insult KPK leaders who he saw as small geckos for daring to take on the police whom he likened to crocodiles. He predicted a grim fate for the little lizard.
On Friday, police named Bambang Widjojanto a suspect in a case for allegedly instructing witnesses to giving false testimony at a Constitutional Court hearing into an election dispute in West Kotawaringin regency in 2010 when he was a lawyer.
A police spokesperson told reporters that the charge was based on the results of an investigation based on three pieces of valid evidence, including testimony from witnesses, documents and expert testimony.
After Friday prayers, around a hundred people from across the community – including anti-corruption activists and non-governmental organization members -- gathered in front of the KPK headquarters in Jakarta.
Carrying banners reading #SaveKPK, they protested against what they saw as the arbitrary arrest of Widjojanto in retaliation for him naming Commissioner General Budi Gunawan, the president’s nominee for national police chief, in a corruption investigation earlier this month.
Inspector General Ronny Sompie, national police spokesperson, refused to comment on whether the legal proceedings against Widjojanto were associated with those against Gunawan.
“The police have more than enough evidence from the informant and witnesses to carry on with the case,” the Jakarta Post quoted him as saying.
However, protesters alluded to the 2012 conflict between the commission and the police, shouting, “It's not just the crocodile confronting gecko, but the gecko confronting the zoo."
Nico Harjanto, a political observer from the Populi Center, said president Joko "Jokowi" Widodo should intervene to prevent the destruction of the link between law enforcement agencies and the KPK.
"Jokowi should intervene and break the chain," he said.
Despite allegations that Gunawan’s bank accounts had been flagged for suspicious transactions in 2009, the Indonesian House of Representatives approved his appointment to the country’s top police post Jan. 15.
One day later, Jokowi announced he had postponed the decision due to Gunawan being under investigation.
Following news of Widjojanto’s arrest Friday, the hashtag #SaveKPK became a Trending Topic on Twitter with Internet users voicing their opposition to what they saw as the anti-corruption agency becoming the victim of an "attack" by police.
