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New regulation to have intelligence agency work directly under President Jokowi
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The logo of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN). (Kompas.com/File)
P
resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has recently issued a regulation stipulating that the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) will work directly under the President in a bid to streamline intelligence reporting, officials have said.
Presidential Regulation No. 37/2020 states that the BIN is no longer under the supervision of the Office of the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister. The new regulation takes effect July 3 and revises the previous regulation, No. 43/2015.
"The BIN would work directly under the President because the products of state intelligence are directly needed by the President more than [they are needed by my office]," Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD tweeted on Saturday.
According to the new regulation, the minister’s office would coordinate with the Home Ministry, the Foreign Ministry, the Defense Ministry, the Law and Human Rights Ministry, the Communications and Information Ministry, the Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Ministry, the Attorney General's Office, the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police.
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BIN deputy VII overseeing communications and information, Wawan Hari Purwanto, said the new regulation aimed to increase efficiency and to better secure information.
"The purpose is to accelerate information distribution to the President so he can quickly adopt accurate, effective and efficient policies. [The new regulation] would also increase information secrecy," Wawan said on Sunday as reported by kompas.com.
"The dynamics of domestic and international politics, the economy, social [issues], culture, defense and safety are very complex. The new regulation would allow for more effective information distribution, which is in line with our vision and mission and with Intelligence Law No. 17/2011 on state intelligence.
"The law states that the BIN should be the one to quickly deliver information to the President so that he can take immediate action to handle various problems," Wawan added.
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Despite not working under the Office of the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister anymore, Wawan said the BIN would still cooperate with other state institutions if needed.
He explained that the BIN chaired the Central Intelligence Committee (Komnipus), through which the agency was tasked with coordinating all intelligence institutions in the country.
Former National Police deputy chief Gen. Budi Gunawan has led the agency since his appointment during Jokowi’s first presidential term in 2016. (nal).
