Indonesian Police Force to Be Under President's Direct PurviewIndonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid said Saturday that on January 1 next year, the police force in the country would officially come under the direct purview of the president.The president made the announcement at a function marking the 54th anniversary of the Indonesian Police. Since last April, the police has been functioning under the supervision of the defense ministry after having been part of the military (formerly ABRI or Indonesian Armed Forces) for several decades. Wahid said the police's status as a force under the president's direct authority was until now only based on a presidential decree. It still has to be confirmed by a law. He said he had been following developments affecting the police with "mixed feelings." In his view, certain traditions observed when the police were still part of the military, are worth preserving. "However, I'm also afraid that doing so would lead to militarism whereas the tradition of militarism itself must be changed," he noted. The president stressed that the tradition of militarism in a political sense no longer exists in Indonesia. What remains is militarism as represented by the professionalism of the country's National Defence Force (TNI). Observers said that the Indonesian National Police has passed a major milestone in its history, changed into a brand new Organization as it has decided to separate from the military. The police has had to shed its military image and turn itself into an effective, civilian-based law-enforcing apparatus. |
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