Mahfud MD: President's Order To The National Police Chief: Find And Eradicate TIP Protection Backing

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD (ANTARA)

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD said Indonesian President Joko Widodo had ordered National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo to eradicate protective persons or backing from criminal acts of trafficking in persons (TPPO).

The reason is, according to Mahfud, this is often an obstacle in efforts to prevent and eradicate TIP in Indonesia, apart from bureaucratic issues.

"We ourselves sometimes already know the knots but are hampered by the bureaucracy, maybe also by back-up and so on," Mahfud said in a press statement at the Presidential Palace, quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, May 30.

Therefore, Mahfud continued, the President ordered the National Police Chief to eradicate the illegal protection practice while chairing an internal meeting to eradicate the TIP.

"There is no backing for criminals. Backing for truth is the state. Backing for law enforcement is the state," he said.

Mahfud added that at the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara, earlier this month, he chaired the 26th Meeting of the ASEAN Political-Security Community Council (APSC) which discussed joint efforts of the region in preventing and eradicating TIP.

Menurut Mahfud dalam pertemuan tersebut negara-negara ASEAN telah meminta Indonesia untuk mengambil kepemimpinan dalam pemberantasan TIP.

"Because for them, this criminal act of trafficking in persons has greatly disturbed the life of the state, because the crime is cross-border and the work is very neat," he said.

Previously, Mahfud also said that the President ordered the restructuring of the TIP eradication and prevention task force.

For information, at the 42nd ASEAN Summit, President Jokowi had invited ASEAN countries to take firm action against perpetrators of human trafficking crimes, which were quite a concern for leaders in the series of meetings.

"Things that touch the interests of the people are an important concern for leaders, including the protection of migrant workers and victims of human trafficking. I invite ASEAN countries to take firm action against their main actors," said Jokowi when delivering a press conference closing the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, May 11, 2023.

It is known that there are at least three documents related to migrant workers and human trafficking produced by ASEAN leaders at the ASEAN 42nd Summit.

First Declaration on Eradication of Human Trafficking Due to Technology Abuse, second Declaration on Placement and Protection of Migrant Fishermen, and third Declaration on Protection of Migrant Workers and Family Members during Crisis Situations.