March 26, 2025
Jakarta – House members have promised to participate “meaningfully” in the deliberations of future bills, including a proposed amendment to the 2002 police law, which has left the public angry at the recent hasty, closed-door revisions to Indonesian Military (TNI) laws.
Since the House passed the TNI law amendment on Thursday, critics called it a hasty, opaque deliberation process, protests have erupted in major cities such as Wanlun and Sarabaya.
The bill passed about a month after the president Prabowo Subianto The legislature is required to discuss amendments to the law. The legislative process includes a meeting of legislators held in the luxurious Jakarta hotel, which was called upon by human rights activists to call on participants to stop revisions.
After the bill passed the law bill, there have been concerns that the House might take the same approach in amending the police law.
National Mission Party (PAN) MP Sarifuddin Sudding asked the public not to worry, claiming that the House has been committed to ensuring openness and transparency in the legislative process.
He continued: “We will no longer hold closed-door meetings. The III committee will invite everyone, from experts to NGOs, to hear their opinions.”
Super Threat
Last year, the House launched a plan to amend laws regarding the National Police and TNI under the green light of former President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo administration.
However, lawmakers decided to cancel the deliberation among the widespread public opposition. They did not give specific reasons for the cancellation, but simply said that the next group of lawmakers will continue the work.
Some observers at the time asked to amend the current police law to pave the way for urgent reforms within the troops. However, the draft bill circulated last year has attracted criticism because they may give police greater power without strengthening oversight.
A copy of the bill distributed on social media last year contains a provision that would allow police to “block and cut off access to cyberspace” in the case of “national security” or preventing cybercrime.
Other changes in the draft will give police the authority to eavesdrop on and intercept communication equipment in secret. Legion can also launch intelligence operations, including preventing and mitigating activities that threaten “national security” by surveillance of foreigners visiting the country.
According to the Center for Law and Policy Research (PSHK), if the proposed draft is incorporated into the law, it could undermine the principle of democracy if it is impunity and politicization of police impunity and law enforcement.
“Instead of reforming the agency to improve professionalism and accountability, the bill turns the police into a powerful, unrestricted entity with expanded surveillance and intelligence capabilities,” the organization wrote in a statement in June 2024.
“If there is no major change, the legislation could revoke democratic progress and civil liberties in Indonesia.”
Broader protests
It is recently reported that after Prabowo signed the Feb. 13 presidential letter, it is speculated that the House will begin formal deliberations of the police law, which directed several ministers to discuss the bill with lawmakers.
But House Speaker Puan Maharani of the Indonesian Struggle Democratic Party (PDI-P) said on Tuesday that the legislature had neither received the letter nor had any formal discussions on amending the police law.
“Any document circulating in public places is not a formal letter to the president,” Pu'an said.
The bill is not included in this year's National Legislative Plan (Prolegnas) priorities.
Despite Puan's comments, critics still alerted amid possible revision voices on social media. On X, theme tag #tolakruupolri (Reject Police Act) has been trending over the past few days and has been shared millions of times.
The online campaign was held during street protests in multiple cities, with hundreds of students and pro-democracy activists demanding the repeal of the recently adopted TNI law revision, which expanded the role of the military in civilian affairs.
Observers warn that “wider and larger protests” could occur if the government and lawmakers continue to rush to pass legislation with minimal public participation.
“If the government refuses to learn from past political events and continues to rule carelessly, these protests will only become stronger,” said Nicky Fahrizal, a center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Jakarta.
