Yolanda Agne, Jakarta – The proposed notion to place the National Police (Polri) under the Ministry of Home Affairs has invited a series of criticisms.
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) was one of the supporters of this proposal, which was brought up under the issue of neutrality and national security.
PDIP chief Deddy Yevri Sitorus suspected the involvement of police in the victories of several running candidates in the recent regional election, which he referred to as the "brown party."
Deddy reckoned some members of the police–not limited to one person–have damaged the democracy and considered it an issue of the chain of command. He also accused the National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo of being the responsible party, albeit did not provide further details about his finding of alleged fraud linked to the police.
A series of criticisms
- A step backward
According to the Executive Director of the Indonesian Police Strategic Study Institute (Lemkapi), Edi Hasibuan, the idea of placing the police under the Ministry of Home Affairs or the military is a step backward.
"We suggest that the police remain under the president," Edi said in his statement in Jakarta on Sunday, December 1, 2024.
Based on academic studies, he said, the National Police ideally answered to the president.
This postgraduate lecturer at Bhayangkara University in Jakarta stated that being under any ministry would not guarantee the improvement of the National Police and instead invited the concern that it would regress.
- Deviation from the 1945 Constitution
Professor of Law at Airlangga University Surabaya, Suparto Wijoyo, remarked that placing the National Police under the Home Affairs Ministry or the military is a deviation from the 1945 Constitution.
"This is in line with Article 30 of the 1945 Constitution, where the National Police are under the President and directly accountable to the President," he said in Surabaya on Sunday, December 1, 2024.
Suparto explained that Polri, as an independent state institution, is tasked with maintaining order and security, law enforcement, and protecting the community without direct interference from the government or other ministries.
Placing Polri under a ministry, Suparto said, creates a tangible concern of political influence within the police institution.
- Political Intervention
Member of the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission III, Aboe Bakar Alhabsy, expressed his objection to the proposal of returning the National Police under the Ministry of Home Affairs' jurisdiction. According to him, placing Polri under the Ministry of Home Affairs could potentially result in greater political intervention.
Moreover, he said, the National Police being under the Ministry of Home Affairs or the military has been done before in Indonesia. "There is no need to repeat a past that was less than ideal," said the PKS politician, as quoted from a written statement on Sunday, December 1, 2024.
Separating Polri from the Ministry of Home Affairs was conducted in 1946, while the separation of police from the Indonesian National Armed Forces occurred in 2000.
– Yolanda Agne, Novali Panji Nugroho, Myesha Fatina Rachman