Central Java Police Urges Staff Not To Post Photos With Political Figures And 2024 Presidential Candidates On Social Media

Head of Humas Polda Central Java Kombes Pol M Iqbal Alqudusy/ Photo: Doc. Central Java Police

SEMARANG All Polri personnel in the ranks of the Central Java Police are warned not to carelessly upload photos with prospective political candidates or figures on social media. This is to maintain the neutrality of the Police in every stage of the 2024 General Election and Regional Head Elections.

The warning was conveyed by the Head of Public Relations of the Central Java Police, Kombes Pol Iqbal Alqudusy, in a written statement received by VOI, Thursday, May 4.

"This is in line with the direction of the National Police Chief and the Central Java Police Chief so that all Polri personnel maintain a neutral attitude in guarding the General Election (Pemilu) and simultaneous regional elections in 2024," he said.

The Head of Humas emphasized that every personnel in the ranks should use social media as a Cooling System to maintain the conduciveness of the sitkamtibmas in the political year.

"So that all members of the National Police do not upload photos with political figures or prospective candidates on their social media," he said.

In his directive, the Head of Public Relations reminded that the neutrality of the National Police in the election has been regulated in Law Number 2 of 2002. In addition, there are also further regulated in various Police Regulations and Telegram of the National Police Chief.

In the National Police Regulation (Perpol) Number 7 of 2022 which is a composition of two Chief of Police Regulations (Perkap), namely Perkap Number 14 of 2011 concerning the Police Professional Code of Ethics and Perkap Number 19 of 2012 concerning the Organization and Work Procedure of the Police Code of Ethics Commission.

"In the regulation, it is emphasized that every official in citizenship ethics must be neutral in political life. This includes all members of the National Police, including the Central Java Police," he continued.

Iqbal also reminded that in 2018 when the National Police Chief was held by General Tito Karnavian, the Head of the National Police's Professional and Security Division (Kadivpropam) issued 13 rules as guidelines for the police to be neutral in the 2018 simultaneous regional elections and the 2019 elections.

"Among them prohibiting Polri members from becoming a successful election team, prohibited from participating in black campaigns, prohibited from encouraging the public to become goalkeepers, and interfering in other practical politics," explained the Head of Public Relations.

The presence of the National Police in every election activity, he continued, is only limited to carrying out security based on a task order. The documentation carried out is only limited to the need for reports on the results of activities to the leadership, not to be published through personal social media.

He warned that any violation of members of the National Police who are suspected of doing anything that shows neutrality in the election will be strictly punished, starting from disciplinary punishment and code of ethics.