President Prabowo Praises Police Chief and Hints at Extending His Term
President Prabowo Subianto praised the performance of National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo during a speech at an event in Tuban, East Java. The President was speaking at the harvest festival and launch of the police’s food storage facility.
Prabowo emphasized the significant role of the Polri institution in supporting the national food security program. He stated that the success of Polri in the field of food is largely due to the leadership of Police Chief General Listyo Sigit.
The former Minister of Defense under Joko Widodo likened Polri to a football team. According to Prabowo, if Polri were a football team, then Sigit, as the coach, would continue to be rewarded with contract extensions for achieving victories. Conversely, if a leader fails to perform their duties well, they will be removed from their position.
“If it’s a football team, if they win, then the manager is good, right?” Prabowo said in Tuban on Saturday, May 16, 2026, as broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat’s YouTube channel.
He added, “The coach is good, the captain of the team is good, isn’t it? The contract is extended. That’s right, isn’t it? If things aren’t going well, they get removed. It’s simple.”
The General Chairman of the Gerindra Party then alluded to leaders who insist on maintaining their positions even though they have not been successful in carrying out their duties. “So, don’t you want to be the captain of a football team, losing, losing, losing, and still want your contract extended,” Prabowo said.
On that occasion, Prabowo cited the performance of Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman as an example. Prabowo stated that Amran received the Bintang Jasa Utama award for achieving food self-sufficiency. Prabowo then said that Polri has also achieved success and the Police Chief deserves to receive the Bintang Mahaputra.
“It turns out I see that Polri has achieved success. The Police Chief has never received the Bintang Mahaputra, right? Later, President Prabowo will give him the star,” Prabowo said.
Prabowo also asked about the same award for TNI Commander General Agus Subiyanto. He said that if there are leaders of state institutions who have been successful, then they need to be appreciated. “The TNI Commander too? Have you received it yet? President Prabowo wants to give it,” he said.
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