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| Police are seeking a balance in the media’s reporting of their actions, following a damning report in Tempo magazine of top police officers accruing huge amounts of money in their bank accounts. (JG Photo) |
thejakartaglobe – The National Police on Thursday sought support from the media, a day after vowing to sue Tempo magazine for what the force claims was an offensive cover picture.
“We’re not against criticism being directed at us,” National Police Chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri said. “We just want some motivation and support rather than criticism.”
The cover of the weekly newsmagazine’s latest issue depicts a police officer leading three piggy banks on a leash, under the title “Rekening Gendut Perwira Polisi” (“Fat Bank Accounts of Police Officers”).
The magazine looks into how several high-ranking officers allegedly amassed millions of dollars in their private bank accounts.
The police have taken offense not at the article but at the cover.
“Pork is haram [forbidden] in Islamic belief,” Bambang said. “I’m just trying to prevent my subordinates from expressing their anger, even though we feel insulted.”
Muslims are forbidden to eat pork, and calling someone a pig is considered a strong insult by most Indonesians.
The allegations against the officers stem from a Financial Transaction Reports Analysis Center (PPATK) document unearthed by Indonesia Corruption Watch. The police have stressed that the publication of PPATK reports is illegal.
Meanwhile, Bambang warned against drawing hasty conclusions from such reports.
“Imagine if the PPATK flagged a reporter for having large sums in his bank account,” he said. “It wouldn’t be right to just assume that it must be illegal.
“We only want the media’s understanding. Just root for us this once, and don’t always assume the worst of the police.”
Bambang also said that the force had clarified 21 suspicious bank transactions reported by the PPATK and implicating middle- and high-ranking officers since 2003.
“We have found no crimes committed so far, and are still in the process of clarifying more transactions,” he said.
Two of the National Police officers who were named in the Tempo article, deputy operations head Insp. Gen. SY Wenas and legal division head Insp. Gen. Badrodin Haiti, have dismissed the allegations against them as baseless.
“However, I won’t sue Tempo [personally],” Wenas said. “As an officer, my priority is to protect and serve the people.”
National Police chief of detectives Comr. Gen. Ito Sumardi said the force would deal with the allegations “professionally.”
“I realize we owe the media a lot, but please give us some support instead of criticism,” he said.
Tempo’s controversial issue was released on Monday, but quickly disappeared from newsstands in the Greater Jakarta area after mysterious men reportedly bought up about 30,000 copies, apparently in a clumsy attempt to prevent its distribution.
The article is available on the Tempo Web site, and the magazine has ordered a reprint of the missing magazines.
The police have denied having anything to do with buying up the magazines, and instead accuse Tempo of perpetrating a marketing ploy.
Meanwhile, Tempo has said that it is ready to defend itself in court over the magazine’s cover, which it says was not meant to be an insult.
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