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View all search resultsPolice state
As the Indonesian Military (TNI) submitted to civilian control in the first two decades of the reform era and scaled down their non-defense roles, the police have only grown in stature and clout.
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Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto (right) is accompanied by Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Gen. Agus Subiyanto (left) and National Police Chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo on Feb. 28, 2024, while inspecting military equipment at the TNI Headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta. (Antara/Bayu Pratama S)
W
hile other key institutions have undergone reform following the dissolution of the authoritarian New Order regime in the late 1990s, the National Police have proven to be an outlier.
As the Indonesian Military (TNI) submitted to civilian control in the first two decades of the reform era and scaled down their non-defense roles, the police have only grown in stature and clout.
At first, the proposal to separate the police from the TNI sounded like the most logical proposition to curb the institution’s militaristic tendencies so that it could focus on maintaining public order.
In the early years of the reform era, placing the National Police under the direct authority of the President may have seemed like a sensible idea, especially when the executive branch of the government was first among equals and checks and balances were still the order of the day.
Past presidents may have been tempted to abuse their authority over the police force but at the very least, the political norms of the day—if not practical considerations—prevented them from going down that route.
Throughout his 10 years in office, president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono installed four national police chiefs without a hitch while his predecessor, Megawati Soekarnoputri, who made the formal decision to separate the police from the military, gave the institution a little tough love.
But then an unscrupulous president came along.
