Despite monumental concerns about the lack of professionalism of Indonesia's Public Order Agency, Home Affairs Minister Gamawan Fauzi has signed a ministerial decree allowing the controversial agency the right to bear arms, including firearms.

According to Ministerial Decree No. 26, 2010, officers from the agency, also known as Satpol PP, can also carry electroshock weapons, including stun guns and electric shock batons.

Last month, Effendi Anas, the new chief of Jakarta's controversial Satpol PP, conceded his officers needed to repair their image as abusive enforcers, but defended the unit as a "strategic weapon" in the arsenal of development.

He also told the Jakarta Globe that he was aware that his officers were often accused of destroying homes and businesses when they were sent to enforce municipal bylaws.

Calls flooded in to disband Satpol PP after a massive riot at the Tanjung Priok port in April, which left three officers dead and hundreds of rioters and police injured.

There have also been previous allegations of the abuse of suspects in custody and of at least one alleged death. Nur Kholis, a member of the National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas Ham), told the Jakarta Globe that the track record of the organization should have been considered before issuing the decree.

He said given Satpol PP's traditional role of law enforcers acting on behalf of the government and frequent clashes with civilians, "adding firearms into the mix is not wise."