House slammed for passing police law

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Activists slammed the House of Representatives Tuesday for passing the National Police Law without amending its controversial articles which have come under strong public scrutiny recently.

The criticism was particularly harsh, since legislators had initially postponed the passing of the law in October, and formed a special commission to get public input on the law.

Nonetheless, the critical points in the law, which some have suggested to be too militaristic in nature, remained intact when it was passed by the House on Monday.

Several legislators apologized and acknowledged that they were unable to heed the aspirations for amending bill.

Nursyahbani Katjasungkana, chairperson of the Indonesian Women's Association for Justice, expressed dismay at the passage of a law she said emphasized police security at the expense of serving and protecting the people.

"This only encourages police to use a suppressive, militaristic approach in resolving problems," Nursyahbani told The Jakarta Post.

Separately, Adnan Pandupraja, secretary general of the Indonesian Police Watch, said the House's decision to postpone passing of the law to get input from the public was farcical.

According to Adnan, the special commission reviewing the law received proposals from several regions for regional police chiefs be chosen locally. The proposal was ignored.

"If in Jakarta the House is given the role of approving the National Police chief, then in the regions -- regencies, mayoralties and provinces -- the local Council should also be given similar authority," Adnan argued.

Both Adnan and Nursyahbani further suggested that the delay in passing the law on Oct. 24 was politically tinged, as it was not truly aimed at allowing people time to express their ideas on the matter, but for a more insidious political motive.

He claimed that the passage of the law, which extended the retirement age for police officers to 58, and in extraordinary cases 60, was postponed so it would not allow any possibility of then National Police Chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro to retain his position.

Bimantoro reached the mandatory retirement age of 55 on Nov. 3. He did not hand over his post to Gen. Da'i Bachtiar till Nov. 29.

"Such a political motive is very clear," Adnan told the Post.

Supporters of the law have argued that it complies with People's Consultative Assembly decrees which separate police from the Indonesian Military and makes the national police chief directly accountable to president.

The new law now also makes police subject to civil law rather than military law.

But Adnan questioned the lack of mechanisms in the law, which requires the police chief to be held publicly accountable at the end of his term.

Nursyahbani also lamented that the fate of women, who are a frequently fall victim to crime, did not get a single mention in the legislation.