President Megawati Asks The National Police Chief To Account For The Bali Bombing Event I In History Today, October 13, 2002

The death toll, in the Kuta area, Bali after the bombing took place on October 12, 2002 with hundreds of fatalities, later known as the Bali Bombing I. (Twitter/@National Museum Australia)

JAKARTA - Today, 20 years ago, October 13, 2002, President Megawati Soekarnoputri ordered an impromptu plenary cabinet session. The trial was initiated by Megawati because the day before Indonesia mourned the tragedy of the Bali Bombing I on October 12, 2002.

Megawati asked the National Police Chief General Dai Bachtiar to be immediately responsible. From the Bali Bombing chronology to what steps will be taken in the future. However, Megawati was reluctant to remove the police chief. He prefers to give Dai Bachtiar the opportunity to clean up the bombers.

The presence of the island of Bali as a place of tourism has been famous for a long time. In fact, since the Dutch colonial period. Many travelers from abroad came to the Island of the Gods. Even though it is still limited. For them, Bali is like Heaven. All because of the presentation of nature, society, and culture that have been rooted.

The narrative did not change until Indonesia became independent. Gradually, Bali tourism has grown rapidly. People from all over the world have vacationed in Bali. There is no difference. Therefore, the door to Bali is open and predicted to be open to all nations, all religions.

The narrative of Bali's popularity in fact made the Land of the Gods a target of crime. A group of terrorists wanted to carry out the bombing in Bali. The bomb exploded in three different places on October 12, 2002. Among others, at the Sari Club, 409"s Pub, and near the office of the United States Consulate.

The casualties fell. Hundreds of lives died. Those who became victims were Australian tourists and Balinese themselves. The incident then brought deep sorrow to all Indonesian people and Australia.

From a humanitarian perspective, the Bali Bombing incident is a very big tragedy, both from the number of victims reaching 200 people, as well as those concerning the future of humanity. In the era of technological advances, humans are even more difficult to breathe. This is proven by the more fragile the value of glory and human independence.

The amis of blood, the price of life, and the epidemic of the devil have become part of a country's daily life, which is said to be famous for being friendly and loving. In fact, from an Islamic perspective, killing one life is the same as destroying an entire life, otherwise giving life to one person's life, it seems to bring all human pulses to life," said former President of Indonesia, Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur) as written by Maman Imanulhaq Faqieh in the book Fatwa and Canda Gus Dur (2010).

The incident made President Megawati move to Bali on the same day. He immediately reviewed the location to see the victims and damage caused by the bombing. He also expressed his deep condolences.

The day after, Megawati rushed to hold an impromptu plenary cabinet session on October 13, 2002. The trial was held in order to hold the National Police Chief General DaI Bachtiar accountable. At that time, the police were considered negligent and unable to prevent the Bali Bombing from occurring.

Megawati also took a stand. He did not want to remove the National Police Chief. The leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party-Perjuangan (PDI-P) tried to give the National Police Chief DaI Bachtiar the opportunity to thoroughly investigate the perpetrators of the Bali Bombing.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri's move on the same day Sunday, October 12, 2002, immediately reviewed the location to see the victims and the damage caused, as well as providing instructions and directions to all parties, especially the National Police and the Bali Regional Government. After conducting the review, the President ordered a plenary cabinet session on Monday, October 13, 2002, at the Presidential Office in Jakarta.

In the cabinet meeting, I as the National Police Chief was asked to explain the incident along with the steps taken and to be carried out. The impression that was arrested from the participants of the cabinet meeting, "forwards" the incident, there is even a risk that must be borne by the security person, namely the National Police Chief, to be removed," said General Dai Bachtiar in the book The Brave Lady(2019).