JakartaPost-May 29, 2026
The proposed revision to the National Police Law has drawn criticism from activists and analysts, who warned that it could legitimize the controversial placement of officers in civilian posts and further expand police influence beyond policing. The House of Representatives earlier this week started the process to revise the law, following the finalization of the House-initiated draft revision, which includes “clearer and tighter rules” aimed at restricting the assignment of active-duty police officers to additional roles outside the police institution. The proposed changes, according to lawmaker Habiburokhman of President Prabowo Subianto’s Gerindra Party, are aimed at creating “a modern, humane, professional and credible police force” and draw in part on recommendations from the government-sanctioned police reform commission. Asked about how far the restrictions should go, commission chair Jimly Asshiddiqie reiterated the need for strict limits on the placement of officers in civilian posts but stressed that the commission had left the details to policymakers to decide. “The exact number and which posts are eligible for such deployment are for the government and the House to decide in the revisions’ deliberations,” Jimly, a former Constitutional Court chief justice, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday. Article 28 of the law says that officers must resign or retire from the service before taking on positions outside the force. But the draft revision to the law introduces a new provision granting an exemption for positions deemed “related to police functions, duties and authority”. The draft revision lists 17 government agencies and ministries to which police officers could be appointed under the exception, including government bodies in charge of security and law enforcement and those overseeing fisheries, forestry, transportation, land affairs, immigration, corrections, as well as protection of migrant workers. “The provision would essentially give legal legitimacy to the practice that was previously considered impermissible under the current law,” researcher Nicky Fahrizal of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) told the Post. Describing it as a political compromise rather than a genuine reform effort, Nicky said the proposed revision failed to address what he described as the police institution’s more fundamental problems, including an overcrowded career structure that leaves many middle- and high-ranking officers without positions.
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