Pramono Deemed Weak in Addressing Thuggery and Brawls in Tanah Abang
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Secretary of Commission E of the DKI Jakarta DPRD, Justin Adrian Untayana, assesses that DKI Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung remains weak in addressing the proliferation of thuggery and brawls in the Tanah Abang area, Central Jakarta.
“Actually, the DKI Provincial Government’s inability to anticipate and respond to this thuggery problem is not surprising. Our governor (Pramono) is soft. Even brawl issues cannot be resolved and continue to occur repeatedly. Moreover, something more organised like thuggery,” Justin stated in his official remarks on Monday (20/4/2026).
According to him, if even incidental brawl problems are not handled well, this makes addressing more complex thuggery even more difficult.
He admitted to having proposed revoking social assistance (bansos) for families whose members are involved in brawls, but the proposal was deemed not to receive serious attention.
“I once pushed for Mas Governor to dare to revoke bansos, one family card (KK) if their children or other family members are involved in brawls. But even that, Mas Governor seems reluctant. Therefore, problems like this will not disappear without a firm stance,” he continued.
He emphasised that a persuasive approach alone is insufficient to address juvenile delinquency or street violence. He views strict enforcement as one way to create a deterrent effect.
“Delinquency and bad behaviour will never disappear with gentle advice or appeals. There needs to be consequences and strict enforcement against it,” he added.
In addition, Justin criticised the performance of the Civil Service Police Unit (Satpol PP), which he deems slow in responding to incidents in the field. He even alluded to the possibility of unhealthy practices between rogue officers and thuggery perpetrators.
“On the other hand, our Satpol PP also does not move actively. It seems as if Satpol PP only acts after an incident has been viralised by the public. This shows a misguided passivity,” he said.
Justin reminded that the DKI Provincial Government has substantial human resources, from civil servants (ASN) to Individual Other Service Providers (PJLP). Additionally, the 2026 grant budget for the Regional Leadership Coordination Forum (Forkopimda) reaches Rp 315 billion.
“Whether it’s due to passivity, or perhaps there is already cooperation with perpetrators of extortion, illegal levies, and illegal parking. Hopefully not, but seeing these incidents continue to recur, it’s not wrong if the public also has such suspicions,” he continued.
It is known that clashes between youth groups in Petamburan, Tanah Abang, occurred from Wednesday (15/4/2026) to Friday (17/4/2026) night.
A local resident, Ilham (32), described the clashes on Friday night as the third and most severe, accompanied by arson.