National Police Chief Rejects Placing Police Under a Ministry, Considered Important for Democracy

National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo (Police Public Relations Department)

JAKARTA - Political and intelligence issues analyst Boni Hargens considers the firm stance of the National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo who rejected the placement of the National Police under the ministry as an important step to maintain the architecture of Indonesian democracy.

According to Boni, the decision is not merely an institutional issue, but a form of statehood in maintaining the independence of law enforcement institutions from practical political interests.

"The rejection of the National Police Chief against the discourse of the National Police under the ministry reflects the attitude of nationhood. This is a strategic step to maintain the architecture of democracy and ensure that the law is still enforced independently," Boni said in his statement, Wednesday, January 28.

He emphasized that in a democratic rule of law state, law enforcement agencies must stand free from the intervention of the executive branch. Independence is needed so that there is no excessive concentration of power in one branch of government.

Boni reminded that the Indonesian constitutional system was built on the principle of trias politika, namely the separation of legislative, executive, and judicial power that supervise and balance each other. In this framework, the National Police has a special position because it carries out the function of law enforcement, not the political function.

"If the National Police is included in the structure of the ministry, it will become part of the political executive. This has the potential to create conflicts of interest, because law enforcement is actually under the control of the power that should be supervised," he said.

He explained that the 1945 Constitution and Law Number 2 of 2002 had confirmed that the National Police was under the President in the capacity as head of state, not the head of government. The difference, he said, was very principled.

"The National Police is responsible to the state and the people, not to the political interests of the ruling government. This independence must be maintained," said Boni.

Furthermore, he reminded of the risk of politicization if the National Police was placed under the ministry. In this situation, the law has the potential to become a tool of power.

"We can shift from the rule of law to the rule by law. Law enforcement is selective, and can even be used to suppress political opponents. That is dangerous for democracy," he said.

Boni assessed that the reform of the National Police should not be directed at changing structural positions, but rather at strengthening professionalism, integrity, and the quality of human resources. The transformation of the organizational culture towards public service is considered more urgent than bureaucratic restructuring.

"True reform is to fix the culture, improve competence, and strengthen the integrity of members. Not to make the National Police a political attraction," he said.

He also reminded that the reform agenda should not be used for short-term interests.

"Don't make the agenda of Polri reform as a political agenda to fish in a murky pond," said Boni.

For him, the independence of the National Police is the main foundation so that the rule of law remains maintained and democracy runs healthy without the intervention of power.