Imanuddin Razak, Jakarta – Internal reforms for Indonesia's police force have been put on hold because President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has not officially inaugurated the body responsible for implementing change, police experts and observers said.
"The Presidential decree on the establishment of the National Police Commission was signed in May 2005," the Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI) researcher Indria Samego said.
"But the President has yet to inaugurate the commission," said Indria, who is also an advisor to National Police chief Gen. Sutanto.
"The commission... (has to) draft policies for the police and give recommendations to the President on the replacement and appointment of the National Police chief."
Indria was speaking at a discussion on police reforms at the Santika Hotel in West Jakarta on Tuesday.
Former Police chief Gen. (ret) Awaloeddin Djamin said the police commission had done nothing, despite its formal existence.
"The strength of the national police commission rests on the President's trust," Awaloeddin said. "How can it start to work if it has yet to be inaugurated," Awaloeddin, who is also an advisor to the police chief, said.
Police observer Fajrul Falaakh criticized the police commission for not being more proactive.
"The commission's establishment is constitutionally legal," Fajrul said. "They could actually start to do their job without necessarily waiting for the (President's) inauguration ceremony."
The nine-member commission was established after legal recommendations around the nation's police force and a stipulation in the presidential decree on the police commission.
The commission is led by Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Widodo A.S. and (former) Home Minister M. Ma'ruf. Commission members include (former) Justice and Human Rights Minister Hamid Awaluddin, Adnan Pandupraja, Novel Ali, Sukarni Ilyas, Ronny Lihawa, Laode Husen and Erlyn Indarti.
But it remains unclear whether the President still has to inaugurate the commission. Ma'ruf was ill for some time before being replaced by Mardiyanto late last month and Hamid Awaluddin was replaced by Andi Mattalatta in May.
The police commission is considered by many as the most acceptable solution to manage internal reform within the police force.
"Putting the National Police under the Home Ministry is a long-term issue," said a military and police observer with the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
Kusnanto Anggoro said, "We (the nation) need to reform the ministry first prior to putting the police under supervision".
"We may put the police under such a ministry if we establish the Homeland Security Ministry, which would supervise the police force. The Home Ministry would then supervise domestic political affairs only," Kusnanto said.
Chairman of the National Law Commission (KHN) J.E. Sahetapy has asked the police not to be afraid of handling any cases – including high-profile ones.
"The word 'afraid' must not be in the dictionary for the police force," Sahetapy said.
"And the police must thoroughly investigate the (2004 murder) of rights activist Munir. They should not pretend they know nothing, and they must not become apathetic spectators while anarchy and human rights violations occur in many parts of the country."
Sahetapy said internal police reforms had been poorly implemented. He said National Police chief Gen. Sutanto's long-time campaign against gambling had failed because it had not received support from the lower-ranking police officers across the country.
"This is not a good situation for internal police reform efforts," Sahetapy said. "We cannot expect officers to be loyal (to the police chief's orders) regarding high-profile cases."