A police officer inspecting ballot boxes for the 2024 regional head elections aboard a boat on Nov 24 at Paotere Port in Makassar, South Sulawesi, prior to their distribution under police escort to 21 polling stations on five islands in Sangkarrang district. - Antara
JAKARTA: Allegations of the National Police breaching the principle of political neutrality during the 2024 regional head elections on No. 27 have reignited debate about police reform, with suggestions from politicians and civil groups ranging from putting the force under ministerial supervision to strengthening the internal oversight body.
The preliminary results of last week’s simultaneous elections indicate potential losses for the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) in several stronghold regions, leading the party to launch postelection accusations at the National Police for abusing its power to influence the polls to benefit certain candidates.
High-ranking PDI-P officials have attributed the party’s projected loss in several gubernatorial races, including Central Java and North Sumatra, to machinations by the so-called partai coklat (brown party).
The name derives from the colour of police uniforms and refers to a group of police officers mobilising support for candidates backed by former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.
“The police, which should serve the [nation] and be loyal to President Prabowo Subianto, have been misused for Jokowi’s never-ending ambition for power,” the nationalist party’s secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto said in a statement on Sunday.
Deddy Yevri Sitorus, a PDI-P lawmaker in the House of Representatives, called for Gen Listyo Sigit Prabowo to be held accountable by removing him as the National Police chief. Deddy also suggested that the police force be placed under the Home Ministry or the Indonesian Military (TNI).
Listyo is widely known as a longtime Jokowi loyalist, enjoying a meteoric rise through the police ranks after forging close ties with the former president, who appointed him to lead the National Police. Jokowi reportedly suggested that Prabowo keep Listyo in the post during his administration.
The PDI-P’s call to place the police under a ministry or the military has met with objection from the government and other House factions, which argued that doing so would contradict contemporary governance policies following the 1998 reform movement.
House lawmaker Habiburokhman, who hails from Prabowo’s Gerindra Party, dismissed the allegation of police meddling, calling it a baseless hoax and arguing that the police could not have taken any sides, since a variety of political alliances were involved in the regional elections.
He also said seven of the eight political parties in the House did not agree with the call from the PDI-P, which is seen as the de facto opposition as the only party that is not a member of the pro-Prabowo Onward Indonesia Coalition (KIM). “History has proven that the National Police is much better after [the institution was placed] directly under the president,” Habiburokhman said.
NasDem Party lawmaker Ahmad Sahroni said the police must remain under presidential oversight to avoid abuse of power, and that placing the force under the Home Ministry would not put a stop to allegations of politicisation.
Home Minister Tito Karnavian, a Jokowi loyalist and former police chief, also rejected the idea, citing “the will of the reform era”.
During the New Order regime of president Suharto, the National Police fell under the Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI), which had a dual military-civilian function. The pro-democracy reform movement in the late 1990s mandated the separation of the police and the military, which was then renamed as the TNI in 1999.
While observers said the PDI-P’s call was a “misguided suggestion” that contradicted the spirit of the reform era, some have warned that allegations of the police’s growing involvement in national politics was an alarming sign.
Hendardi, board chairman at rights group Setara Institute, said the PDI-P’s criticisms should instead be interpreted as a precaution against democratic decline and erosion of integrity in the regional elections.
He urged a “stronger supervisory role” for the National Police Commission (Kompolnas), the government-sanctioned oversight body tasked with ensuring the police’s independence from political interests and other external influences.
On the other hand, police observer Bambang Rukminto from the Institute for Security and Strategic Studies (ISSES) said the suggestion to place the police under a ministry for increased professionalism was worth considering.
“Which ministry should oversee the police would need to be studied more thoroughly,” Bambang said, “but placing the police under the authority of a new ministry overseeing security affairs could be an alternative to the Home Ministry.”
Ministerial oversight would also help reduce the police’s scope of authority to prevent its use as a political tool, he added.
The National Police currently has the power to enforce the law as well as to formulate its own policy direction and budget. Bambang also said that whether the police institution could be entirely free from becoming a political tool hinged on the commitment of both the president and the police chief.
“A police chief who is firm, consistent and committed to his oath will certainly not easily be tempted by power,” he said.
“Likewise, a president who is firm in his promises certainly won’t use a state apparatus only for the pragmatic purpose of temporary political power.” - The Jakarta Post/ANN
