MP Urges Pigai to Focus on Human Rights Issues Rather Than Police Reform
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Member of Commission XIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), Mafirion, has requested Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai to focus more on resolving human rights issues, which remain a significant national challenge, rather than proposing regulations regarding positions within the National Police (Polri).
“The ministry’s energy and attention should be directed towards strengthening the protection, respect, promotion, and enforcement of human rights, rather than entering realms that are outside its authority,” Mafirion stated in Jakarta on Monday.
According to him, the proposal regarding the possibility of civilians occupying certain positions within the National Police is an issue related to institutional governance and requires in-depth discussion. Therefore, he believes such proposals must be carefully studied and presented by the parties holding direct authority over the regulation of the National Police institution.
He assessed that there are still many issues requiring serious attention, ranging from the resolution of unfinished human rights cases and the protection of activists and human rights defenders, to the strengthening of human rights education within society. Consequently, he encouraged the Ministry of Human Rights to strengthen coordination with relevant ministries and agencies to ensure that human rights enforcement proceeds more effectively. Furthermore, human rights education and literacy need to be expanded to schools, universities, and the wider community to strengthen awareness of citizens’ rights.
“We want the Ministry of Human Rights to serve as the vanguard in fighting for and ensuring the protection of human rights,” he said.
He also reminded that every statement and proposal made by a minister must be carefully considered, as it reflects the attitude and quality of the government as a whole. “We do not want the public to see a minister who is more preoccupied with matters outside their primary duties than with completing the tasks entrusted to their office,” he added.
Previously, Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai suggested that the revision of Law Number 2 of 2002 concerning the National Police of the Republic of Indonesia (Polri) could serve as a momentum to strengthen professionalism and governance by opening opportunities for professional civilians to fill several key non-operational positions within the police force.
Pigai stated that the proposal targets positions not directly related to the operational functions of the police, but rather strategic supporting fields, such as administration, planning, human resource management, finance, inspectorate, personnel, digital transformation, and organisational governance.
“I propose that one of the contents of the Polri Law revision is the opening of positions for senior officials in the Police that can be filled by civilians. Certainly, these are positions that can be filled by civilians, such as administration, finance, inspectorate, or personnel, which are not directly related to the main duties of the police,” Pigai said when responding to journalists’ questions regarding the Polri Law revision in Jakarta on Friday.