GP Ansor: Discourse On The Merger Of The Police To The TNI Contrary To The 1998 Reform Trust

Photo: Doc. Antara

JAKARTA - Secretary General (Secretary General) of the Central Leadership of the Ansor Youth Movement (GP), A. Rifqi Al-Mubarok, said that the discourse on the merger of the National Police into the TNI contradicts the mandate of the 1998 reform.

Rifqi said that the mandate of the reform was contained in the TAP MPR Number VI and VII of 2000 as well as the decision of the 4th President of the Republic of Indonesia Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur) which separates the Police and the TNI.

'The 1998 reform was an important milestone for Indonesian democracy. One of the main achievements of the student movement and elements of civil society at that time was to separate the roles and functions of the National Police from the TNI. This step became a symbol of the reform of the security sector that supported civil supremacy, respect for human rights, and strengthening democracy," he said, quoted from Antara, Sunday, December 1.

The statement was in response to a member of Commission III of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Deddy Sitorus, from the PDIP faction, conveyed a discourse regarding the placement of the National Police under the TNI or the Ministry of Home Affairs.

He also revealed that Gus Dur's decision to separate the National Police from the TNI was to make the Bhayangkara Corps a civilian institution that focuses on law enforcement and domestic security, while the TNI is directed to safeguard the country's sovereignty from external threats.

"The decision is not just a policy, but a foundation for building a healthier democratic system," he said.

According to him, combining the National Police into the TNI will betray the spirit of reform and have the potential to weaken democracy.

"This step will only increase the risk of abuse of power and obscure the functions of each institution in our democratic system," he said.

Therefore, he as Secretary General of GP Ansor, invited the younger generation to continue to oversee democracy.

"As the next generation, we must not allow the struggle of the predecessors to be in vain. Reform is not the end, but the beginning of the journey to a more mature democracy," he said.

Furthermore, he also firmly rejected any efforts or discourse regarding the merger of the National Police into the TNI.

The General Chairperson of GP Ansor Addin Jauharudin also expressed the same thing, who also rejected the discourse of this merger.

GP Ansor, he said, hoped that the government, including President Prabowo Subianto, would stick to reform principles.

"Never back down. Indonesia needs a strong commitment to create a just, democratic and prosperous country," said Addin.