TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Jokowi taps former adjutant Listyo as National Police chief

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has made what analysts have described as a bold move in nominating a Christian police chief amid a recent surge of sectarianism in the country.

Marchio Irfan Gorbiano (The Jakarta Post)
Premium
Jakarta
Wed, January 13, 2021

Share This Article

Change Size

Jokowi taps former adjutant Listyo as National Police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo. (tribunnews.com/Tribun Medan)

P

resident Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has made what analysts have described as a bold move in nominating a Christian police chief to replace outgoing chief Gen. Idham Azis amid a recent surge of sectarianism in the country.

Jokowi submitted the name of Comr. Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo, his former adjutant and the National Police's current Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) head, to the House of Representatives on Wednesday for confirmation.

If the House approves the nomination, Listyo is set to be the nation’s second police chief from a religious minority background, after the late Widodo Budidarmo, who led the police from 1974 to 1978.

Analysts have said that Listyo’s religious background could be a hurdle for him when he assumes the police’s top job, as the country has seen a recent wave of Islamic conservatism. A similar issue surfaced when Listyo was assigned as Banten Police chief. The local chapter of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) reportedly resisted his appointment in the increasingly religiously conservative province. In an interview with Tempo in 2019, Listyo said that maintaining open communications with local clerics had allowed him to defuse the situation.

Political analyst Firman Noor of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) said Listyo should be able to draw on his experience in Banten to navigate possibly tense situations in his early tenure as police chief. He said Listyo would have the extra task of winning the trust of groups that might oppose his new role.

“He must show that he is not someone whom Islamic groups should worry about, which means that he will have to make agendas and programs specifically to address the issue,” Firman said.

Read also: Jokowi's former adjutant named new detective chief

to Read Full Story

  • Unlimited access to our web and app content
  • e-Post daily digital newspaper
  • No advertisements, no interruptions
  • Privileged access to our events and programs
  • Subscription to our newsletters
or

Purchase access to this article for

We accept

TJP - Visa
TJP - Mastercard
TJP - GoPay

Redirecting you to payment page

Pay per article

Jokowi taps former adjutant Listyo as National Police chief

Rp 29,000 / article

1
Create your free account
By proceeding, you consent to the revised Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.
Already have an account?

2
  • Palmerat Barat No. 142-143
  • Central Jakarta
  • DKI Jakarta
  • Indonesia
  • 10270
  • +6283816779933
2
Total Rp 29,000
{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.