Indonesian National Police Stands by Plan to Deputize Thugs

The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence or Kontras believed Gatot’s plan to deputize thugs belied more serious problems.

Also read: 16 Policemen Detained for Fatal Shooting of Civilian in South Sulawesi 

“Enlisting hoodlums means the police is failing to do their job in enforcing the law and keeping the public safe,” said Kontras spokesperson Fatia Maulidiyanti. “Deputizing thugs will spark conflicts, as authorizing them to enforce the law only empowers [the criminals].”

Fatia noted that police brutality made up the majority of human rights violations against the public, and called on Indonesian National Police Chief General Idham Azis to scrap Gatot's plan.

The authorities have been focusing on traditional markets as it is one of the main sources of Covid-19 clusters in Jakarta and elsewhere in Indonesia.

(Writers: Haryanti Puspa Sari, Vitorio Mantalean, Haryanti Puspa Sari | Editors: Fabian Januarius Kuwado, Krisiandi, Sabrina Asril, Kristian Erdianto)

Sources:

https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2020/09/14/14274981/ini-penjelasan-wakapolri-soal-pelibatan-jeger-dalam-penerapan-protokol. 

https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2020/09/15/18063781/penanganan-covid-19-ketua-mpr-sarankan-polri-gandeng-tokoh-ketimbang-preman?page=all#page2. 

https://megapolitan.kompas.com/read/2020/09/12/16020751/pedagang-sedang-susah-mau-cari-nafkah-kok-malah-diawasi-preman. 

https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2020/09/15/08242411/potensi-kekerasan-dan-konflik-terkait-rencana-pelibatan-jeger-dalam?page=all#page2.