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JAKARTA: The Jakarta and West Java police chiefs have been reassigned after it was said they failed to act against mass rallies organized over the weekend by an Islamist leader who recently returned from exile.
National Police spokesman Argo Yuwono told CNA on Tuesday (November 17) that Jakarta Police Chief Nana Sudjana and West Java Police Chief Rudy Sufahriadi “did not carry out orders to enforce health protocols and, therefore, are sanctioned. “
Mr. Sudjana has been reassigned as an adviser at the National Police Headquarters, while Mr. Sufahriadi has been assigned to a new post at a police training center. The decision, Yuwono said, was made by the head of the National Police on Monday.
“The chief of the National Police has ordered his subordinates not to hesitate to take firm action against those who violate health protocols,” Yuwono said. “The National Police will not hesitate to take firm action against those who do not obey orders.”
When asked by the CNA, Yuwono refused to specify the exact incidents that led to the reassignment of the two police chiefs.
Both have been widely criticized for allowing a series of mass meetings to take place last week, with Indonesian media reporting that they were removed from their posts after the meetings.
The first was a gathering of thousands of followers of cleric Rizieq Shihab, who returned to Indonesia on November 10 after three years of self-imposed exile in Saudi Arabia.
Shihab is the leader of the hardline Islamic Defenders Front and has millions of devoted followers.
Shihab, a fierce critic of the government of President Joko Widodo, fled the country in 2017 when he was indicted on various charges, ranging from pornography to insulting the ideology of the Pancasila state.
People gather for the homecoming of Rizieq Shihab, the leader of the Indonesian Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) who has resided in Saudi Arabia since 2017 in Jakarta, Indonesia on November 10, 2020. REUTERS / Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana
Days after his return, the cleric led two massive gatherings to celebrate the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad on November 13. The sermons, which drew thousands of followers, took place in Jakarta and the city of Bogor, West Java.
The clergyman organized a large wedding reception for his daughter last Saturday night. The wedding is said to have been attended by 10,000 guests.
Many of those seen at the meetings did not wear masks or practice safe distancing.
There are now more than 470,000 cases of COVID-19 in Indonesia.
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