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House to form committee to watch police ahead of elections
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National Police security maintenance agency (Baharkam) chief Sr. Comr. Fadil Imran talks to lawmakers on Nov. 15 during a hearing with House of Representatives Commission III overseeing legal affairs, in Jakarta. (Antara/Muhammad Adimaja)
The House of Representatives Commission III overseeing legal affairs has proposed the formation of a new committee to ensure the police remain impartial in February’s presidential election, days after another House commission created a similar desk to keep tabs on the military, amid concerns over the impartiality of the state apparatus.
In a hearing on Wednesday, several lawmakers at Commission III grilled the National Police – represented in the meeting by the police’s Security Maintenance Agency (Baharkam) chief Comr. Gen. Fadil Imran – over their neutrality ahead of the general election, raising concerns that the police are prone to side with a certain presidential candidate.
These lawmakers are from political parties either supporting the presidential bids of Ganjar Pranowo or Anies Baswedan. While no lawmakers specifically named the candidate pair in question, they seemed to refer to presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto of Gerindra Party and running mate Surakarta Mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the eldest son of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.
Lawmaker Nasir Jamil of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), one of the three parties backing the presidential bid of opposition figurehead Anies, said that the public has begun to question whether the police would stay neutral given that the President’s son is running in the election. Nasir said that the police should do more to dispel these concerns.
“We are asking for the police chief’s commitment [...] in regard to independence and neutrality during the election,” Nasir said, adding that he hopes the police chief will not be hesitant in giving out sanctions to partisan officers, so as to avoid giving any preferential treatment to any candidate or party.
Read also: Questions on neutrality to take center stage at Agus confirmation hearing
The National Police is currently led by Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo, who is widely seen as part of Jokowi’s Surakarta circle of military and police officers, dubbed “geng Solo” (the Solo gang), after the popular name for the city of Surakarta, Jokowi’s hometown and where he once served as mayor.
