Sapto Yunus, Jakarta – Member of Commission III of the House of Representatives (DPR) RI Nasir Djamil considers the proposal to place the Indonesian National Police or Polri under a ministry irrelevant. He cites several factors that make it irrelevant, including incomplete legal development, weak legal culture, difficult public economy, and low educational level.
"Indeed, some countries place the police under a ministry. However, it cannot be done in Indonesia yet, maybe even in the following years," said Nasir in Jakarta on Thursday, November 28, 2024, as quoted by Antara.
The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) politician mentioned that with various internal challenges currently happening, placing the Indonesian National Police under a ministry would worsen the situation. He believes that the placement of the National Police, an institution directly accountable to the President, is appropriate.
However, he wants President Prabowo Subianto to directly lead legal reform and legal system renewal in Indonesia, especially within the Indonesian National Police institution. He believes that the president's role is crucial to ensuring fair law enforcement and respect for human rights.
"The President is expected to be at the forefront of leading law enforcement, which is not arbitrary and respects human rights. This is important to build public trust in law enforcement institutions," he said.
He says strict sanctions against police officers must also be consistently enforced. Leadership within the National Police must bring credibility and public trust.
"If the leadership can set an example, we believe that police officers under that leadership will surely be loyal and not engage in any misconduct," he added.
Various groups, including the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), have previously suggested placing the police under the Ministry of Home Affairs or the TNI. The proposal was made with neutrality issues and to strengthen national security.
PDIP describes the brown party as democracy saboteurs in regional elections
Head of the Central Executive Board (DPP) of PDIP in the Executive Election Victory Division, Deddy Yevri Sitorus, suspected the involvement of police officers in supporting several regional head candidates in the 2024 Regional Elections. He mentioned that the police are undermining democracy and labeled them as the 'brown party'.
"This brown party undoubtedly involves police officers. It's not just one. Perhaps it's better not to mention names. This is a chain of command issue," said Deddy during a press conference at the PDIP DPP office in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Thursday.
Deddy accused the National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo of undermining democracy during the 2024 Simultaneous Regional Elections. He even demanded that the four-star general take responsibility for the police institution.
"This is our reflection on the police institution. And this is not born out of hatred. We want to convey to the entire population that someone within the institution must take responsibility for what is happening behind the scenes," said Deddy.
However, Deddy did not detail the findings of election fraud involving police officers. He stated that there is no need to divulge information at this time. "This will be used as evidence in court later," added Deddy.
Previously, the Secretary-General of PDIP, Hasto Kristiyanto, accused the police of abusing power in the Regional Head Elections or the 2024 Simultaneous Regional Elections. Hasto mentioned receiving this information from field reports and was willing to be accountable for his statements.
"We have received numerous reports of power abuse by the police. Initially, we referred to them as individuals. But seeing the many incidents across various regions, it is no longer individuals," said Hasto during a press conference at the PDIP DPP office in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday, November 20, 2024.
Hasto revealed several regions where police power abuse was suspected during the regional elections, such as North Sulawesi, Boyolali, Central Java, East Java, and North Sumatra. "This shows a concern regarding the dark sides of democracy that could threaten the fair, honest, and democratic implementation of regional elections," said Hasto.
The police claim neutrality in the 2024 regional elections
Previously, National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo stated that he had instructed his subordinates in regions to maintain neutrality in the 2024 Simultaneous Regional Elections. Sigit acknowledged that the neutrality issue within the National Police Corps would be scrutinized during this election period.
"Therefore, all personnel must be cautious about this neutrality issue as it affects credibility in the field," said Sigit to Tempo in a written response on Sunday, November 10, 2024.
In addition to emphasizing neutrality, Sigit also called for police officers to synergize with other community elements to ensure the smooth conduct of the regional elections. "Security forces, religious leaders, and community figures play a vital role in realizing safe, peaceful, calm, and legitimate regional elections," he said.
He mentioned that the Police had involved internal and external monitoring elements to ensure the authorities' neutrality in the elections. According to Sigit, internal oversight in the Police includes the General Inspectorate and the Professional and Security Division.
In addition to internal oversight, Sigit also mentioned engaging external oversight. "This oversight is carried out by various institutions and community organizations," he added.
– Alif Ilham Fajriadi, Antara