House Members Criticize Police Who Stopped Cars on the Toll Road and Asked for Jakarta Driver's Licenses

Illustration of police apples (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Abdullah, a member of Commission III of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), has highlighted the actions of a police officer who stopped a motorist on a toll road and asked for a Jakarta driver's license (SIM). He believes the officer's actions constitute a violation and must be summoned and questioned firmly.

If found guilty, he believes the officer must be punished to prevent a bad precedent.

"The summons and questioning must be conducted transparently, and the results must be announced to the public. If found guilty, strict sanctions must be imposed as a form of the police's responsibility to enforce the law within its own borders," Abdullah said on Tuesday, July 22.

The officer whose video went viral on social media has been questioned, and the Jakarta Metropolitan Police Traffic Directorate has deemed no violations to have occurred. However, he is still undergoing further investigation.

The officer in question was also accused of making a slip of the tongue, misspeaking to the driver and passenger. According to Abdullah, the incident reflects the incompetence of the officer in question.

"The traffic police officer did not understand the rules or it is suspected that he had other motives for stopping the driver," said the legislator from the Central Java VI electoral district.

Abdullah also questioned the implementation of driver's licenses based on regional categories. To his knowledge, driver's licenses issued by the Indonesian National Police are valid throughout Indonesia.

"Since when have driver's licenses been valid per region, like the Jakarta driver's license? Several existing regulations clearly state that driver's licenses are valid throughout Indonesia," Abdullah explained.

In fact, he continued, Indonesian driver's licenses were officially valid in eight (8) Southeast Asian (ASEAN) countries as of June 2025.

"This international cooperation regarding driver's licenses is a progressive step, as it also integrates legal documents in Indonesia and simplifies the use of other official documents such as KTP (National Identity Card), NPWP (Taxpayer Identification Number), and BPJS (Social Security)," said the man familiarly known as Abduh.

Abduh also questioned the reason why the police stopped the driver on the toll road. In a circulating video, the driver who argued did not appear to have committed a violation.

The police officer even asked the driver to continue on his way or to avoid issuing a ticket.

"What the police did by stopping the driver on the toll road was very dangerous. As far as I know, existing regulations prohibit stopping cars on toll roads, except in emergencies, and even then, they do so on the shoulder of the toll road," Abduh emphasized.

Therefore, Abduh believes that the police's actions in stopping the car on the toll road without reason and asking for a Jakarta driver's license (SIM) are likely a violation of the law and regulations. He also urged the National Police leadership to take firm action against the officers.

Furthermore, Abduh said, the public on social media, or netizens, have directly criticized the police, both explicitly and implicitly, through satire.

"If this is not dealt with firmly, it will set a bad precedent in law enforcement and traffic justice," Abduh emphasized.

"Later, the police will be seen as looking for faults in traffic violations by civilians, while police officers who violate traffic regulations will be protected," he concluded.