Soedardjat Nataatmadja

At the election for the Regent of Bogor, Nataatmadja won with 28 out of 40 votes cast. He was inaugurated as the Regent of Bogor for the 1983–1988 term on 4 October 1983 by Governor of West Java Aang Kunaefi.[5] Following his inauguration, he was promoted from lieutenant colonel to colonel.[2]

Since the 1960s, there was an increase in illegal construction and expansion on the Puncak in Bogor. In response to this, the Sukarno administration enacted the Presidential Decree No. 13 of 1963, which handed over the authorization of construction in the area to the Ministry of Public Works.[6] Twenty years later, in 1983, the Suharto administration amended the decree to conform with the situation at that time. Although the amendment still gave the coordinating authority to the Ministry of Public Works, the gubernatorial and regency government were given more autonomy to implement decisions regarding the illegal construction.[7]

In response to the amendment, which gave the regents authority to handle the illegal construction and expansion, Nataatmadja initiated the Operasi Wibawa Praja (Operation Government Dignity). The main goal of the operation was to demolish illegal construction that had no building permits. The demolition team, composed of military forces, police, civilian defense forces and municipal police, were equipped with bulldozers and other demolition tools. The operation was first undertaken in January 1985. The first building that was demolished under this operation was a villa complex, which was built over the ruins of a tea plantation.[8]

The Tempo magazine remarked that the Wibawa Praja Operation was praised for its firmness and was continued by Nataatmadja successors.[9] In an interview, Nataatmadja stated that the operation was part of this effort to implement a "clean and capable government" in Bogor[10] and as a "shock therapy to aware the people to be more careful".[11]

Nataatmadja was an avid supporter of Sundanese culture. Nataatmadja endorsed plans to hold a Sundanese language congress,[1] which at that time was dormant, with the previous congress being held almost thirty years before.[12] The plans for the congress were proposed by Uu Rukman and Acil Bimbo, Sundanese humanists.[1] Nataatmadja offered his regency, Bogor, as the venue for the congress. The congress was held on 20 January 1988 in the village of Cipayung.[13]

At the special session of the Bogor Regional People's Representative Council, which was held to elect the regent for the next term, Nataatmadja instructed observers to wear traditional Sundanese clothing. Although he managed to be reelected, his instructions to wear traditional Sundanese clothing infuriated the Minister of Internal Affairs at that time, Rudini, who considered Nataatmadja to be violating the rules.[1] This incident culminated in Rudini refusing to recognize the reelection of Nataatmadja.[14] The council soon picked other candidates and a second election was held.[14] Eddie Yoso Martadipura, an MP from the Armed Forces Faction, won the second election and was inaugurated on 4 October 1988.[15]

After Rudini rejected Nataatmadja for his second term, the government of Bogor offered Nataatmadja a black Toyota Cressida as a gift.[16] However, the offer was soon known by Rudini, and he instructed the Bogor government to cancel the offer.[17]

Several months after his appointment as inspector general, Nataatmadja began a new program aimed at increasing the accountability of provincial governors. The program involved a joint inspection of the provincial inventory conducted by the inspectorate general, Financial and Development Supervisory Agency, and the Audit Board of Indonesia. Almost all provinces in Indonesia were reluctant to permit the joint inspection, except Southeast Sulawesi. The joint inspection began its task in Southeast Sulawesi in early 1994, and the results of the inspection were announced on 2 May 1994. Nataatmadja announced that the joint inspection found 192 cases of legal wrongdoings and maladministrations in the province.[22]

Before 1995, the results of the joint inspection were only announced to the provincial government. After the joint inspections in Irian Jaya, the results of the joint inspection were announced to all of the parties involved in the inspection. The announcement was dubbed by Nataatmadja as the Gelar Pengawasan (Inspection Roll-Out).[23]

On 10 October 1995, Nataatmadja announced his plans to inspect the works of governors and regents yearly. His first inspection was aimed at Abdul Azis Lamadjido, Governor of Central Sulawesi, who would end his second term in February 1996. For this inspection, Nataatmadja formed a team consisting of 25 officials from the inspectorate general.[24]

Colonel Sri Roso Sudarmo, a regent in Bantul, was accused of bribing President Suharto's Dharmais Foundation with money amounted to Rp. 1 billion (US$111,000) in order to get himself reelected. After this case was made public, Minister of Internal Affairs Yogie Suardi Memet dispatched a team[25] led by Nataatmadja to investigate the scandal.[26] The investigation commenced on 7 December 1996.[27]

The results of the investigation were announced in a press conference on 13 December. At the press conference, Nataatmadja stated that Sudarmo admitted that an unnamed mystic and his colleagues promised Sudarmo a second term if Sudarmo gave him Rp. 2.5 billion (US$277,500). However, after some bargaining, the mystic agreed to lower the price to 1  billion. The mystic then urged Sudarmo to sign a letter. After Sudarmo was elected to a second term, Sudarmo refused to pay the money. The mystic then leaked the letter to the media. Although the ministry had admitted that Sudarmo attempted to bribe a mystic, the ministry found no evidence of corruption or mishandling of village funds.[28] Thus, the minister of internal affairs only gave Sudarmo a mild warning in the form of a written letter of dissatisfaction from the minister. The letter was delivered to Sudarmo five days after the investigation had commenced.[29]

The media considered Nataatmadja and Sudarmo's explanation to be "intricate and unbelievable". Columnists from the Bernas newspaper questioned how a mystic could fool the regent, a 20-year veteran from the armed forces, and why Sudarmo would sign a letter that would implicate him far more than it did any alleged swindlers. However, Bernas failed to find any evidence contrary to the official explanation, and the question remained a mere supposition.[30]

During his tenure as inspector general, Nataatmadja held several offices in various organizations. He was appointed as the Chairman of the Karate Kyushin-ryū from 1993 to 2001, advisor to the Union of West Javan Populace in Jakarta from 1995, advisor to the Union of National Construction Entrepreneur from 2000, Deputy Chair of the National Sports Committee of Indonesia from 1995 to 1998,[31] and member of the National Council of the 45' Generation since 1993.[1]