Why Not Revise the Police Law?

A critical question that arises and is also raised by Prof. Mahfud MD if you really want to regulate civil positions for the Police, why not revise the Police Law? The revision of the Law actually provides strong legal legitimacy, certainty of norms, and wider public participation space. By revising the Police Law, lawmakers can openly discuss the limitations, mechanisms, and implications of placing the Police in civil positions. This will prevent the state from the impression of "smuggling norms" through regulations below the law. Moreover, the revision of the Law will clarify the direction of state policy regarding the professionalism of the Police in the constitutional system. On the other hand, the use of Perpol or PP to regulate this actually gives the impression of being pragmatic and hasty, as if avoiding political debate and public oversight inherent in the legislative process.

Internal Concerns of the Police and Structural Impacts

Prof. Mahfud MD also expressed internal concerns within the Police itself if this civil position policy is forced. One of them is the accumulation of high-ranking officers or generals who are not accommodated in the Police organizational structure. Civil positions are then seen as a "parking space" to accommodate surplus positions. If this logic is used, then the real problem is not the vacancy of civil positions, but human resource management within the Police. Solving internal structural problems by expanding penetration into civil positions risks creating new problems, both legally and politically.