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Just weeks after the largest wave of demonstrations against Prabowo Subianto’s presidency, the root of public anger remains unaddressed despite several government actions. While the controversial housing allowances for House of Representatives lawmakers were scrapped and arrogant politicians were suspended, the National Police, the institution responsible for the deaths of at least 11 individuals, including 21-year-old Affan Kurniawan, has largely remained unscathed.
According to the Commission for Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS), two people are still missing after the late August protests.
The public widely condemned the police's excessive use of force, which included tear gas, despite temporary ban, violent stomping and mass-detainment of peaceful protestors. Officers were seen deliberately targeting and intimidating medics and journalists, and student accommodations were reportedly searched at night during the height of the unrest.
Civil society groups are demanding greater accountability from the police and clear government actions to prevent future tragedies, viewing this brutality as the culmination of long-standing public frustration with an institution they believe has strayed from its role of protecting the people and normalized corrupt practices.
Following the brutal crackdown, calls for the resignation of Police Chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo intensified, but President Prabowo Subianto instead entrusted him with greater authority to stabilize the situation, even with the use of more force if necessary. Pressure for Listyo’s ouster has persisted, fueled by his perceived loyalty to former president Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Prabowo's recent cabinet reshuffles, which have replaced some of Jokowi's allies in strategic positions.
Civil society believes that police reform must start at the top, echoing Listyo's own 2021 statement that "a fish rots from its head." Pressure for Prabowo to replace Listyo has mounted ahead of his address to the United Nations General Assembly next week, where certain groups may question his commitment to human rights protection.
While there has been no official announcement about replacing Listyo, President Prabowo has pledged to meet public demands for police reform. Earlier this month, he announced his intention to create a police reform task force and on Wednesday, appointed Ahmad Dofiri, a former deputy police chief under Listyo, as Presidential Advisor for Security, Public Order and Police Reform.
Although the appointment and the use of the word “reform” signal good intentions, no clear roadmap for structural change has been announced. Coordinating Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Correctional Institutions Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra have also stated that a presidential decree will soon be issued to reevaluate the Police Law, which has been untouched since 2002. Demands for police reform have intensified in the past few years following allegations that the law enforcement agency breached the principle of impartiality during elections, both at the national and regional levels.
However, Prabowo’s willingness to reform the police has raised suspicions about his underlying motive: to shift the balance of power toward the military (TNI). Since his inauguration, the former army general has emphasized the military's role in the country's development. This year, a controversial military law was passed with his blessing, allowing military officers to hold more positions in civilian institutions, a move that has sparked fears of a return to state militarization.
Prabowo has already appointed several military compatriots to strategic positions, such as Maj. Gen. Ahmad Rizal Ramdhani as president director of the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) and longtime friend Lt. Gen. Djaka Budhi Utama as head of the customs office in the Finance Ministry. Most recently, on Wednesday Prabowo installed Gen. (ret) Djamari Chaniago as the new coordinating politics and security minister, replacing Budi Gunawan who was dismissed on Sept. 8.
While Prabowo views the involvement of the military figures as crucial for vital agencies, he has also restructured the TNI organization with 160 new units and 49 new high-ranking posts, a move which for a short term will address the career logjam facing the TNI.
With the military set to receive the largest share of the state budget this year, the coming police reform will be a critical test of whether it will create an accountable police force or simply be the catalyst for creeping militarization that has defined Prabowo’s year in power.
