MN KAHMI Urges Law Enforcement to Strengthen Synergy, Rejects Inter-Agency Rivalry

The National Assembly of the Muslim Students’ Association Alumni Corps (MN KAHMI) has expressed concern over the emergence of perceived rivalries among law enforcement agencies, which it believes could disrupt the effectiveness of anti-corruption efforts and diminish public trust in law enforcement in Indonesia. The statement was delivered by MN KAHMI Presidium Coordinator Abdullah Puteh through an organisational position paper issued on Sunday. In the statement, MN KAHMI stressed that all law enforcement institutions must prioritise synergy and avoid sectoral ego in order to maintain the authority of the state and ensure that corruption eradication runs effectively. Abdullah stated that corruption is a serious problem that has harmed the state and society. He noted that corrupt practices hinder development, widen social inequality, and damage good governance. Therefore, eradicating corruption must be a national agenda that unites all state powers. “For MN KAHMI, corruption is the common enemy of the nation. Corruption has robbed the people of their rights, impeded development, widened social inequality, and damaged the morality of state administration. Because of this, corruption eradication must be a national agenda that unites all state powers, not a space that creates an impression of competition for authority among institutions,” Abdullah said. He assessed that rivalry or the impression of conflict among law enforcement institutions could actually benefit perpetrators of corruption. According to him, the energy of law enforcement officers should be focused on investigating and prosecuting perpetrators of corruption, not absorbed in inter-institutional dynamics. “If the energy of law enforcement officers is more absorbed in inter-institutional dynamics than in hunting down and prosecuting corruptors, then it is not the state that benefits, but the corruptors themselves,” he said. MN KAHMI also reminded that the National Police, the Attorney General’s Office, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), and other law enforcement agencies hold equal standing as pillars of the state in upholding the rule of law. Therefore, each institution is urged to respect each other’s authority and strengthen coordination. “No single institution can win the war against corruption alone. What is needed is synergy, mutual respect for authority, and commitment to the national interest,” Abdullah said. In its position statement, MN KAHMI outlined five demands. First, it rejects all forms of rivalry, sectoral ego, or actions that could create a perception of conflict among law enforcement agencies, as this could weaken anti-corruption efforts and damage the state’s authority. Second, MN KAHMI urges the President of the Republic of Indonesia to provide firm leadership to ensure all law enforcement officers work in a unified, professional national orchestration and uphold the supremacy of law. Third, the organisation asks the leaders of all law enforcement agencies to stop narratives or actions that could sharpen inter-institutional tensions and instead prioritise coordination, transparency, and accountability in carrying out their duties. Fourth, MN KAHMI reminds that the law should not be used as a tool to build institutional superiority or as an instrument in power struggles. Law enforcement, it stated, must solely aim to achieve justice, legal certainty, and benefit for society. Fifth, MN KAHMI calls on all elements of society, academics, the mass media, and civil society organisations to continue overseeing the law enforcement process independently, objectively, and constructively so that it remains in line with constitutional principles. Abdullah stressed that Indonesia currently needs political stability, legal certainty, and the solidity of all state institutions to face economic and geopolitical challenges as well as the national development agenda. “Do not let perceived conflicts among law enforcement officers divert attention from the major agenda of eradicating corruption and serving the people. The state must not be defeated by sectoral ego. Law enforcement must not lose its direction. Corruption eradication must return to its main objectives: upholding justice, protecting the people’s interests, and safeguarding the honour of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia,” Abdullah asserted.