Prabowo Says He'll Closely Scrutinize Police Bill Amid Public Concern

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Prabowo Subianto addressed the Draft Law on the Indonesian National Police, known as the Police Bill, which proposes expanded powers for the police. He shared his views during an interview with six journalists in Hambalang, West Java, on Sunday, April 7, 2025.

The question was first raised by Najwa Shihab, founder of Narasi TV, who referred to several incidents of power abuse by law enforcement. She asked whether Prabowo supports the proposed expansion of police authority outlined in the bill.

"This will be something I will pay attention to," said Prabowo as quoted from the Narasi TV's YouTube channel on Tuesday, April 8, 2025.

Prabowo expressed confidence in Indonesia's political system, where all laws are deliberated by multiple political parties. He noted that party members in the House of Representatives are chosen through public elections.

"But thank you for the input, I will give it special attention now," said Prabowo. "Perhaps I will study it line by line."

Najwa then reiterated the same question. Once again, Prabowo responded that he will study the draft of the Police Bill.

In principle, Prabowo said, the police should be given sufficient authority to carry out their duties. "If they have been given sufficient authority, then why should it be increased?"

The General Chairperson of the Gerindra Party believes that the police have been given sufficient authority to carry out their duties in combating criminality, such as combating smuggling, narcotics, and protecting the public.

"In my opinion, why should we go looking for more?" he remarked.

The House has been discussing the Draft Law on the Police since 2024. This policy is included in the draft of the House's initiative. Several articles proposed changes based on the draft of the Police Bill obtained by Tempo.

For instance, as stated in the draft of the Police Bill, Article 16 paragraph 1 letter q. This article states that the Indonesian National Police have the authority to carry out enforcement, blocking or termination, and efforts to slow down access to cyberspace for the sake of domestic security.

The Civil Society Coalition for Police Reform argues that police involvement in regulating cyberspace could threaten public freedom of expression. Additionally, granting the Police law enforcement authority in the digital realm may lead to overlapping responsibilities with the Ministry of Communication and Digital, as well as the State Intelligence and Security Agency.

The controversial proposed changes in the draft of the Police Bill are also found in Article 14 paragraph 1 letter g. This article states that the Police are tasked with coordinating, supervising, and providing technical guidance to special police, civil servant investigators, other investigators designated by the law, and private security forces.

The Civil Society Coalition views that the proposed changes in this article actually bring the Police closer to a superbody investigator role.

The task of providing guidance to private security forces held by the Police also needs to be evaluated. The Civil Society Coalition believes that this task has the potential to lead to human rights violations or create a space for "security business."

Another contentious article in the draft of the Police Bill is Article 16 A, which grants the Police the authority to develop plans and policies in the intelligence sector as part of the national policy framework.

The Civil Society Coalition views this as problematic, arguing that it would give the Police greater intelligence authority than other intelligence-related institutions. With this proposed article, the Police could potentially request intelligence data from institutions such as the National Cyber and Encryption Agency (BSSN) and the TNI Strategic Intelligence Agency.

Civil society groups are also rejecting the proposal to raise the retirement age for Police personnel. This is regulated under Article 30 paragraph 2 of the draft bill. The proposal suggests extending the retirement age to 60 years for general Police members, 62 years for those with specific skills essential to their duties, and 65 years for functional officials.

According to the Civil Society Coalition, increasing the retirement age could hinder the regeneration process within the police. They argue that the proposal fails to address the issue of an oversupply of high- and mid-ranking officers in the force.

Novali Panji Nugroho contributed to the writing of this article.

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