The Plan To Increase The Rank Is Extraordinary For Police Evidence That The Government Is Not Sensitive

JAKARTA President Prabowo Subianto asked the Chief of the Indonesian National Police (Kapolri) Listyo Sigit Prabowo to give extraordinary promotions to the police who were injured as a result of demonstrations. However, this proposal was opposed by many parties.

"I conveyed to the National Police Chief, I ask that all officers be promoted to extraordinary rank," said Prabowo.

He made this statement after visiting the police victims of a demonstration at the Police Hospital, East Jakarta, Monday (1/9/2025). Requests for promotion to the police who were injured during the demonstration because they were considered to have defended the country, defended the people, and faced anarchist acts.

In addition to promotions, Prabowo also mentioned that members of the police get free schools for career levels.

However, this proposal has received negative reactions from the public. President Prabowo is considered insensitive to the current situation, which is still not fully public.

Police observer from the Institute for Security and Strategic Studies (ISESS) Bambang Rukminto said, in the midst of the current dynamics of the crisis, the award was not yet time to be awarded.

"In fact, the state can be perceived as insensitive to the aspirations of the people," said Bambang.

Prabowo visited the victims who were treated at the Bhayangkara Police Hospital Kramatjati earlier this week. A total of 43 people were injured, 17 of whom are still being treated. If detailed, 14 are members of the National Police, while the other three are civilians.

Prabowo's extraordinary promotion was called for when the National Police received attention from the public in the midst of a series of demonstrations over the past week.

The demonstration began on Monday (25/8/2025) with demands for performance evaluation and elimination of allowances for DPR members. This action continues to be resolved and extends to various regions until August 31.

Demonstrations often lead to chaos and are colored by repressive actions by the authorities. The climax was when an online motorcycle taxi driver (ojol) Affan Kurniawan died after being run over by a Mobile Brigade tactical vehicle on Thursday (28/8/2025).

The incident sparked outrage in the community. The next day, thousands of ojol drivers and students held a demonstration in front of the Polda Metro Jaya. The death of Affan also triggered widespread action to various cities such as Bali, Surabaya, Mataram, Semarang, and Yogyakarta.

The public has urged the National Police to carry out massive reforms, even though the institution has determined as many as seven Brimob members who are in the rantis to commit serious and moderate violations.

"Regarding the issue of the National Police Chief, it is the prerogative of the President. We are soldiers, whenever we are ready," said National Police Chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo's response when asked about the push to resign by the public in Hambalang, Bogor, Saturday (30/8/2025).

In the midst of the weakening public trust in the police, orders to raise the rank of the police who were injured during the demonstration were deemed inappropriate. Moreover, in this action, many people were injured, and even died.

Kenaikan pangkat sebenarnya adalah sebuah kewajaran untuk polisi yang bertugas. Tapi kenaikan pangkat luar biasa hanya harus diberikan jika polisi bertugas dengan baik, kata Direktur Lembaga Bantuan Hukum (LBH) Jakarta Muhammad Fadhil Alfathan.

"The problem here is, it has not been confirmed whether the police are carrying out their duties properly or not," said Fadhil.

He added that the president should first confirm whether the police who received promotions had carried out their duties according to the rules.

"When there are people who die, should it be rewarded with promotions? So this is a premature statement that actually injures victims from the community," he said.

Meanwhile, police observer ISESS Bambang Rukminto assessed that the extraordinary promotion to the police affected by the demonstration could create a perception that the state is not sensitive to the aspirations of the people. Not only that, the granting of this promotion is also considered to be a blunder for the Police.

"Even instead of increasing the morale of police officers, it could be a blunder for the Police themselves," said Bambang.

Furthermore, he admitted that he did not understand the meaning of the awarding in the midst of a wave of public protests. According to Bambang, this has the potential to worsen the image of the Police.

In terms of the National Police itself, this discourse has become a dilemma. On the one hand, it cannot refuse Prabowo's award, but on the other hand it is considered insensitive to the condition of the community.

"This is a simalakama fruit for the police, on the one hand it is not good to reject it, but also not sensitive to social conditions. Especially after an incident that made the image of the Police slump," he said.

For this reason, according to Bambang, awarding this kind of award should wait until the crisis in the community has been resolved.