Bali Police as Peace Officers

(3/9/2012) 

Speaking at a ceremony to bid farewell to Bali’s outgoing Chief of Police General Totoy Herawan Indra and welcome his replacement General Budi Gunawan, Bali governor Made Mangku Pastika declared that Bali needs a figure to lead its police force who is able to guarantee peace and security in the province.

Quoted in the National News Agency Antara, Pastika said, “Bali not only needs safety, but also the guarantee of peace and security.”

To illustrate the close connection between peace and security, Pastika pointed to the ASEAN Summit held in Bali in November of 2011. “Security in Bali doesn’t appear 'over the top.' Moreover, President Obama was able to safely walk around while the conference was underway,” explained the governor.

Pastika, who once served as Chief of Police for Bali, said the system of security in place in Bali contrasts strongly with what he saw in place during high-level visits to South Korea and Honolulu. “Actually when I arrived at those two summits, (I saw) the security was carried out in a number of layers and levels, like a fortress under siege,” he explained.

Because of this, the governor told Bali’s new police chief, General Budi Gunawan, to safeguard the close linkage between safety and security, especially as that applies to foreign tourists.

“We must remember that Bali has given birth to many high ranking police officers. A number of men who went on to head the national police force once served in Bali, including Kunarto, Bimantoro, Dai Bachtiar and Timur Pradopo,” explained Pastika, while alluding to forme Bali police chiefs who later went on to serve as Indonesia's top cop.

Bali’s new chief of police, General Budi Gunawan, formerly worked as provincial chief in Jambi after serving for several years as the personal adjutant to Megawati Sukarnoputri, during her tenure as vice-president and president.

Antara News Agency admitted that, despite official denials, many members of the public are linking the replacement of Bali’s top cop with the prison riots at Bali’s Kerobokan prison that injured four people and caused widespread damage to the prison’s buildings.

Source: BaliDiscovery.com