By Hendrik Yaputra
Copyright tempo
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Indonesian State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi said the government has invited former Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud Mahmuddin (Md) to join the Police Reform Team. However, Prasetyo has not yet disclosed whether or not Mahfud Md has accepted the offer.”(Mahfud) is one of them,” he said at the Presidential Palace Complex in Central Jakarta on Friday, September 19, 2025.The minister stated that forming the Police Reform Team demonstrates the government’s commitment. In addition to Mahfud, President Prabowo Subianto invited several other figures to join the team. However, Prasetyo has not yet revealed the names of the invited figures.”The process is currently underway for us to request the willingness of these figures to join the committee,” he said.Last Wednesday, Prasetyo said that the members of the Police Reform Team would be announced this week. However, Prasetyo did not specify the exact date. “Wait for it, hopefully within this week,” said Prasetyo at the State Palace in Central Jakarta on Wednesday, September 17, 2025.One of the names mentioned to be part of the team is Mahfud Md, the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs in Joko Widodo’s administration (2014-2024). Prasetyo said that the Palace has not appointed the head of the team yet, when asked about the name Mahfud Md. This is because the government is still organizing the team members. “It is on preparation,” he said.The pressure to improve the police force emerged amid the wave of protests from late August to early September of 2025. These demonstrations resulted in 10 deaths, including one of an online motorcycle taxi driver named Affan Kurniawan, who was run over by a police tactical vehicle in the evening on Thursday, August 28, 2025.The tragic incident triggered mass protests in Jakarta and various regions, accompanied by riots and the burning of police headquarters and regional parliaments. The residence of Finance Minister Sri Mulyani, before being reshuffled from the cabinet on September 8, 2025, as well as four members of the House of Representatives (DPR), were also vandalized and looted by the masses.President Prabowo was mentioned to have agreed to establish a police reform team. Prabowo conveyed his approval during a discussion with several figures involved in the National Conscience Movement at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Thursday, September 11, 2025.Former Chair of the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI) Gomar Gultom, who participated in the meeting, stated that during the discussion, they urged President Prabowo to evaluate and reform the Indonesian National Police. “The President will soon establish a team or commission for police reform. I think this is also in response to the considerable demands of the public,” Gultom said after the three-hour meeting at the Presidential Palace.Eka Yudha Saputra and Intan Setiawanty contributed to this articleEditor’s Choice: Palace to Name Members of Police Reform Team This WeekClick here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
