Dasco Denies Police Act Revision Aims to Extend Listyo Sigit's Term
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Sufmi Dasco Ahmad has denied claims that the Police Act revision was prepared to extend Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo’s term. ‘The revision should have been done earlier, but due to various reasons it is only being implemented now, and if there are specific issues, I don’t think so,’ he said at the DPR building in Jakarta on Tuesday, 27 May 2026.
According to the latest draft of the Police Act seen by Tempo, Article 30 paragraph 2 has undergone substantive changes regarding retirement age limits. Subparagraph a sets the retirement age for privates, non-commissioned officers, officers up to the rank of senior commissioner, and one-star, two-star, and three-star generals at 60 years.
Subparagraph b sets the retirement age for four-star generals at 60 years, extendable up to 63 years at the President’s discretion. Currently, the only four-star police general holding office is Chief of Police Listyo Sigit, who is scheduled to retire in his sixth year as chief, at age 58 in 2027.
Dasco stated that the retirement age extension for the police is intended to align with other law enforcement bodies such as prosecutors, and to standardise retirement ages with the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), whose retirement age has also been extended through the TNI Act revision.
‘It is appropriate for the police to also propose an increase in retirement age to avoid such disparities,’ said the Gerindra Party politician.
The government and House Commission III held their first working meeting on Monday, 25 May 2026, to discuss the Police Act revision, which was an initiative from the legislature. In his explanation during the meeting, Law Minister Supratman stated that the Police Act, in effect for over two decades, needs updating to align with legal developments, societal needs, advancements in science and technology, transnational crime trends, and contemporary security threats.
The government outlined five key areas for the Police Act revision. First, strengthening transparency, professionalism, accountability, and humanity in police duties and authority. Second, restructuring the deployment of active police officers in positions outside the police structure. Third, adjusting retirement age regulations as part of professional human resource management aligned with organisational and national interests. Fourth, enhancing police education curricula to include human rights, democracy, and humanitarian principles. Fifth, strengthening the National Police Commission by expanding its duties and authority, and restructuring membership through open, transparent, and competency-based mechanisms.
Supratman stated that President Prabowo Subianto had sent a presidential letter to the DPR to initiate the Police Act revision. However, the government has not yet submitted the Problem Inventory List (DIM) as it is still finalising the academic draft and bill internally.
The retirement age extension clause has drawn criticism from legal and security sector activists. Muhammad Isnur, Chairman of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation, argued that extending retirement ages could lead to a bloated police force with less productive personnel serving the public.
There is also a greater risk of middle and senior officers being stuck in unassigned positions, hindering generational renewal and cadre development, potentially derailing police reforms. ‘This could further extend the tenure of the long-serving Chief of Police,’ Isnur said in a voice message on Monday.