A police general stood on a wooden pulpit. His body was clad in a\nbrown uniform, rank insignia fixed to his shoulders and official badges\ndisplayed on his chest. A black peci sat on his head.<\/p>\n
Before him, the Friday congregation listened to the sermon. The scene\nbrought together two symbols: a pulpit that reminds people of humility,\nand a uniform that denotes a position in the hierarchy of power.<\/p>\n
Police General Suyudi Ario Seto, the newly inaugurated chief of\npolice, delivered the sermon at Al-Ikhlas Mosque at National Police\nHeadquarters in Jakarta on Friday, 9 October 2026. He urged the\ncongregation to avoid arrogance, respect one another and treat public\noffice as a trust.<\/p>\n
The advice sounded familiar. But when delivered by the country\u2019s most\nsenior police official, it acquired several layers of meaning. It was\ndirected at himself, the congregation and the entire entourage\naccompanying him.<\/p>\n
The Sundanese term rengrengan<\/em> describes a group of people\naccompanying a prominent figure. In official settings, senior officials\nare commonly accompanied by aides, security personnel, staff and other\nofficials as required by their duties and protocol.<\/p>\n A voorijder<\/em> team can clear the way, security officers carry\nout their protective duties, and local officials receive a visiting\ndignitary in accordance with regulations. Each has a function. Yet these\narrangements also display the official\u2019s status to the public.<\/p>\n When a general steps up to the pulpit, then, he brings more than\nhimself. The entire hierarchy surrounding him enters the place of\nworship too. His rank remains visible, protocol continues to operate and\nthe entourage stays by his side. Meanwhile, the sermon calls on people\nto be humble.<\/p>\n Here lies a paradox worth considering. The sermon first returns to\nthe general himself. When he describes office and power as a trust, he\nreminds himself of the responsibility attached to his position. The\nhighest rank grants him great authority, but also calls for greater\nself-restraint.<\/p>\n The message then reaches the congregation. They hear a police leader\nemphasise simplicity and respect for others. The speaker\u2019s office\nconnects the advice directly to public life: how power is exercised and\nhow those who hold it treat other people.<\/p>\n The third circle reached by the message is the force under his\ncommand. Officers, aides, security personnel, staff and police members\nwho witnessed the sermon can take from it more than personal advice.<\/p>\n In his sermon, Suyudi advised against using rank to belittle others,\nturning a uniform into a means of intimidating the public, or assuming\nsuperiority simply because one has access to a superior.<\/p>\n Of course, we do not know how each person interpreted the sermon. But\nSuyudi\u2019s position gives his words a reach different from that of an\nordinary member of the congregation delivering a sermon.<\/p>\n He spoke both as a Muslim and as the leader of an institution with an\nextensive chain of command. His moral advice could serve as a message\nabout leadership for the entire force.<\/p>\n The question is whether official hierarchies always sit comfortably\nwith the spirit of humility. Not necessarily.<\/p>\n During congregational prayers, people stand in the same rows. Rank,\nwealth and social status do not determine a person\u2019s standing before\nGod. Outside the rows, life resumes according to structures and\nrules.<\/p>\n The police need a chain of command to carry out their duties in an\norderly fashion. Protocol also serves security and administrative\npurposes. There is no need to regard all of this as arrogance.<\/p>\n Yet hierarchy creates social impressions that do not always stop at\nits official functions. The arrival of a general with a security escort\nmay make people feel honoured, but it may also make some feel\nintimidated.<\/p>\n A religious event, too, can take on a different atmosphere when a\npowerful figure arrives with an entourage.<\/p>\n In sociology, Erving Goffman explains how appearance, setting and\nconduct shape impressions in social interactions. His ideas can help us\ninterpret the photograph of Suyudi.<\/p>\n Before he utters a single word, the general\u2019s uniform, rank and\nposition have already conveyed information about his status. When he\nspeaks about humility, the public hears his words while also reading the\nsocial stage around him.<\/p>\n There is no need to accuse Suyudi of deliberately putting power on\ndisplay. Protocol may be followed because of official duties, not out of\na desire to command respect.<\/p>\n But a person\u2019s intention and the impression created by their presence\nare two different things. Protocol governs how an official appears; it\ndoes not entirely determine how society interprets that appearance.<\/p>\n The Qur\u2019an offers a relevant foundation in Surah An-Nisa, verse 58:\npeople are instructed to return trusts to those entitled to them and to\njudge fairly.<\/p>",
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