Government reviews regulations on placement of Polri personnel in ministries

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The government is reviewing the placement of National Police Republic of Indonesia (Polri) personnel in ministries and agencies to clarify authority boundaries, amid affirmations that the institution’s position remains directly under the President. Deputy Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Correctional Services Otto Hasibuan in Jakarta on Wednesday said the government’s discussions do not concern changes to Polri’s institutional position, but rather the technical regulation of personnel placements in ministries. “In the meeting, there was indeed a discussion regarding the status of Polri officials who can be placed in ministries. We assess that further regulation on this matter is needed,” he stated. He noted that to date, there are no clear rules on which positions can be filled by Polri personnel within ministries and agencies. Otto explained that the government is preparing a concept for such regulation through cross-ministerial coordination, including with the Ministry of State Apparatus Utilization and Bureaucratic Reform (PAN-RB), as part of the bureaucratic reform agenda. “For that, we agreed that it should be handled by Mr Yusril’s side, the Coordinating Minister (for Law, Human Rights, Immigration), I was asked to regulate it. But it’s not us who decide. Of course, we regulate the concept, and of course, we also discuss it with the PAN-RB ministry,” he said. He added that the regulation is expected to strengthen government governance while maintaining Polri’s professionalism and ensuring effective inter-institutional coordination without changing the established institutional position. Previously, the Polri Reform Acceleration Commission assured that it does not propose changes to Polri’s position in the state structure. Commission member Mohammad Mahfud MD stated that Polri remains under the President following lengthy discussions, considering the 1998 reform history and the risk of politicisation if placed under a ministry.