As reports provide updates on the upcoming police chief replacement, we’re hearing sighs of “Here we go again.” It was just last year that the tumult surrounding the National Police leadership was settled by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo with the appointment of the current police chief, Comr. Gen. Badrodin Haiti, while the legislature had earlier endorsed its apparent favorite and Jokowi’s sole nominee, Budi Gunawan. Badrodin retires next month.

A day after the House of Representatives endorsed Budi’s nomination in February last year, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) named Budi a corruption suspect. The police then went all out to criminalize the KPK leaders by digging into old cases. The KPK leaders have been replaced, while investigations into police personnel “fat accounts” stalled. The choice of Badrodin seemed like a compromise in the virtual absence of clean high-ranking officers available for the top job.

The President has the prerogative to choose the police chief he deems best fit for the job. But apart from being hard pressed to select candidates with integrity, the post of National Police chief carries vested political interests.

Therefore, once again the President faces pressure from his ruling party. Budi is known as a confidante of former president Megawati Soekarnoputri; any legal problem he may have had has now been “cleared”, said a lawmaker from the Democratic Party. Similarly, other politicians politely have said that the choice is up to the President, but point out that Budi has passed the House’s scrutiny.

Jokowi faces the fact that although the second-biggest party, the Golkar Party, has pledged loyalty to him following past friction, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) remains the ruling party.

Another Budi, Budi Waseso, the former police detective division chief who aggressively prosecuted the KPK chiefs, is reportedly another candidate, though recommended names from the National Police Commission (Kompolnas) to the President have not been disclosed. As part of the KPK saga closing last year, Budi Waseso, to retire in 2019, was shunted off to head the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), where he is channeling his tough attitude to drug abusers.

Citizens have every right to expect a professional police force. This was why the police was separated from the Indonesian Military (TNI) as part of the reformasi movement. Instead, we saw senior officers investigated for corruption and other abuses of power. We have learned to expect the best compromise — a police chief who answers to the President and toes his line.

In the best interest of the public, we support President Jokowi in hand-picking his National Police chief. He has seen that although he bypassed the House’s endorsement, there was no choice but to respect his sudden nomination. The President has insisted that he will not break any rules; while he still has the option of extending Badrodin’s retirement to 60 years old, which applies to “active members with special skills”.

Brace for another Jokowi maneuver from the leader and politician we all called “green”.