JAKARTA: Law and Human Rights Minister Supratman Andi Agtas has appointed Insp Gen Nico Afinta (pic), an active two-star police general with a controversial past, as his new secretary-general, a role he called "the backbone" of the ministry’s management and administration.
"I hope as the new secretary-general, you will not only act as a leader but also as someone who can inspire change," Supratman told Nico on Tuesday (Sept 24) during the swearing-in ceremony at the ministry in South Jakarta, according to a press release.
Nico told reporters after the ceremony that he would improve communication at the ministry as well as collaboration with other government institutions.
"I hope with good communication and synergy, I can carry out my duties well," he said.
The former head of the College of Policing succeeds Andap Budhi Revianto, a retired three-star police general who now serves as the law minister’s expert staffer for social affairs and was appointed interim governor of Southeast Sulawesi late last year.
Nico has been embroiled in at least two controversies prior to his appointment as secretary-general of the law ministry.
In 2022, media reports linked Nico, the East Java Police chief at the time, to then-internal affairs chief Ferdy Sambo and his attempts to cover up the murder of aide-de-camp Nofriansyah Yosua Hutabarat.
Nico denied the allegation and was never investigated in connection with the high-profile case, while Ferdy, a two-star police general, was sentenced to life in prison for premeditated murder in the biggest scandal to hit the National Police in recent memory.
More than a dozen other police officers were investigated, fired or demoted for obstructing justice during the investigation into the murder of Yosua, who was killed on July 8.
In October that year, a deadly stampede broke out at Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang, East Java, which was later determined to be precipitated by the indiscriminate use of tear gas by the police in an attempt to disperse unruly soccer fans.
Two officers from the Malang Police and an officer from an elite unit at the East Java Police were tried and sentenced to prison for negligence over the incident.
As the provincial police chief, Nico apologised to the public for the tragedy that killed 135 people, reportedly the second-worst stadium disasters worldwide in the history of soccer. Afterward, he was reassigned to desk duty as a sociocultural affairs expert staffer to the National Police chief.
Nico joins the growing list of high-ranking, active police officers appointed to public office during this election year.
Although such appointments are permitted under Law No. 20/2023 on civil servants, the law has been criticised for allowing active police officers and military personnel to hold civil service posts in ministries and agencies.
Activists suspect the practice is part of the government's strategy to consolidate power following the 2024 general election in February and before the regional head elections in November.
Many have accused the government of trying to meddle in the elections and violating the principles of democracy, under which police function in law enforcement to maintain public order and security, rather than fill positions of civil administration.
They also said that having active police officers in the civil service would create an environment not conducive to bureaucracy and potentially disrupt the reward system. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
