Possibly a number of people are asking why Heru was chosen as the BNN head, and not another figure who has a clear track record on fighting drugs. The question is reasonable.
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President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has appointed and installed Insp. Gen. Heru Winarko as the new head of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), replacing Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso.
Budi Waseso, nicknamed “Buwas”, entered the mandatory pension age on Feb. 28, 2018. During his tenure as the BNN head, Buwas embarked on an aggressive fight against the trafficking of illicit drugs (narcotics and dangerous drugs) in Indonesia, which had been declared as an emergency since 1971. In his last case, Buwas uncovered a large-scale drug trafficking and money laundering operation involving Rp 6.4 trillion (US$640 billion). This deserves appreciation.
The public has the same hope for Heru. Possibly a number of people are asking why Heru was chosen as the BNN head, and not another figure who has a clear track record on fighting drugs. The question is reasonable. However, when President Jokowi decided on his selection, it is also reasonable to give constructive criticism to support Heru, who was previously the deputy of enforcement with the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
Three candidates were proposed as Buwas’s successor: National Police Criminal Investigation head Comr. Gen. Ari Dono Sukmanto, BNN deputy chairman of drug eradication Insp. Gen. Arman Depari and Insp. Gen. Heru Winarko. From among these three, President Jokowi chose and inaugurated Heru, a 1985 graduate of the Police Academy. The President’s choice must be respected.
We hope that Heru will continue to crack down on drug dealers and traffickers as Buwas has. The drug business is a large-scale business. Tens of trillions of rupiah circulates through the drug business. Many unscrupulous officers have become accomplices of drug dealers.
New types of drugs are being developed rapidly, while the BNN’s labs are lagging behind to detect these new drugs. Money can buy everything in connection with the drug trade and in maintaining the drug trade in Indonesia. The BNN has shown that Indonesia has become a testing ground for new drug types.
That is the situation that the new BNN head will face. The government’s rhetoric on combating drug trafficking is very strong. The President\'s commemoration speech for International Anti-narcotics Day was firm, from not forgiving drug dealers and not giving clemency to drug dealers, to shooting drug dealers dead. However, rhetoric is rhetoric. In reality, from year to year since 1971, Indonesia has remained in a state of emergency for drugs. Clemency was also given to drug dealers.
A road map of drug eradication is something this nation must compile. Drugs constitute another threat in addition to corruption. Who is actually the "commander" of the drug eradication efforts, and who has the responsibility of compiling the road map and executing it?
We do not want drug eradication efforts to be strong only in rhetoric, but weak in action. We hope that all components of the nation will continue the work Buwas has done, especially new BNN head Heru Winarko. Armed with his experience in the KPK, his honesty and personal integrity can be used as a guide in combating drug trafficking.