Practitioner: Police Discourse Under The Ministry Of Home Affairs Can Open Space For Political Intervention

Photo: Doc. Antara

JAKARTA - Legal practitioner Pitra Nasution assesses that the discourse of returning the National Police under the Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri) or the TNI can reopen the space for political interventions that injure the principle of institutional neutrality.

According to him, the National Police as a civil law enforcement institution is designed to serve civil society, not as an extension of certain powers.

"We have learned from history that the dualism of civil and military security functions often creates structural chaos. Reviving this model is tantamount to bringing Indonesia back to a past full of legal uncertainty and institutional instability," said Pitra Nasution, quoted from Antara, Sunday, December 1.

Pitra also assessed that the existence of the National Police as an independent institution under the president was actually the key to the success of reforms that had been sought so far.

The results of various surveys show that the level of public trust in the Police has continued to increase in recent years.

"This proves that Polri reform has brought positive results. The National Police must remain under the control of the President to maintain its independence and professionalism, without political intervention that could weaken the main function of law enforcement," he said.

He further highlighted the potential for disruption of the rule of law if the Police are under the Ministry of Home Affairs or the TNI. Therefore, he reminded that Polri reform is the result of a long struggle that should not be wasted.

"The increase in public trust in the National Police is an indicator of the success of reform that we must protect together. Struggling an established structure will only damage the trust that has been built with difficulty," he said.

Therefore, he invited the public to be critical of this discourse. This is considering that maintaining the independence of the Police is the best step to ensure professionalism, neutrality, and the sustainability of institutional reforms.

"The proposal to change the structure of the National Police is not only irrelevant, but also contrary to the principles of democracy that we have been fighting for together," he asserted.

Previously, member of Commission III of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Deddy Sitorus from the PDI-P faction, conveyed a discourse related to the placement of the National Police under the TNI or the Ministry of Home Affairs.