VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Over the last two days, the media has been busy discussing the issue of the Indonesian National Police -Polri to be proposed under a ministry. Governor of the National Defense Institute, Lt. Gen. TNI (Ret.), Agus Widjojo has proposed that the National Security Council and the Ministry of Home Security be immediately formed. Thus, he stated that the Ministry of Home Security will oversee the National Police.

Responding to the proposal, Analyst of Public Information Center Policy at the Public Relations Division of the Polri, Police Commissioner Trunoyudo W Andiko delivered a press statement Monday (3/1). He emphasized that the Polri institution is under the president of the Republic of Indonesia in accordance with the 1945 Constitution and Law No. 2/2002 on the National Police.

Andiko further stated that Article 8 paragraph (1) of Law No. 2/2002 has firmly stated that the National Police are under the president. Therefore, until now, the Polri institution still operates under the president and is directly responsible to the president.

In line with the National Police, Commissioner of the National Police Commission (Kompolnas), Poengky Indarti remarked  that the National Police institution which is currently under the direct supervision of the President of the Republic of Indonesia is a mandate from the Reformation era. He assessed that it would be inappropriate for anyone to propose other ideas that deviate from the mandate of the Reformation era.

According to Poengky, Law No. 2/2002 on the National Police is a manifestation of police reform. In addition, the Police as an institution do not stand alone. Thereby, Kompolnas participates in overseeing and has the task of determining the direction of policies drawn up by the National Police. Several observers and members of the House of Representatives -DPR also expressed the same opinion. The point is that the National Police should remain under the President, and there is no need for a special institution to oversee the Police.

The number of opinions that support the National Police to remain under the President shows that the current position of the Police is considered to be appropriate. There must be a very strong reason and an in-depth study, if someone wants to change the position of the police. Whatever the position of the Police is that the interests of the nation and the state must become a root basis.