Sanctions in the Ethics Code can be imposed on anyone, who failed to maintain their neutrality in elections, either in regional- or national-level elections
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Police has issued an explanatory note for units regarding police neutrality in the context of the upcoming political year and the 2024 General Elections.

"The Police's Public Information Bureau Head has issued an explanatory note for units expounding regulations about police neutrality," the police's Public Relations Division Head, Inspector General Dedi Prasetyo, stated here, Wednesday (January 18).

Prasetyo emphasized that each officer must respect the neutrality rule and avoid violating police neutrality regulations, as it has been entrenched in various laws.

He noted that Article 10 of MPR RI (People's Consultative Assembly) Resolution VII of 2002 on the police and military roles in national security and defense, stated that police officers are neutral in political matters and refrain from involvement in political activities.

Meanwhile, Article 28, Paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of Law No. 2 of 2002 on National Police restrict police officers from voting and being voted in elections, apart from mandating political neutrality for them.

The new Police Regulation No. 7 of 2022 on Ethics Code also expounds that police officers must be neutral in elections, the inspector general stated.

Prasetyo remarked that to ensure adherence to neutrality, the police's Professional and Security Division would issue a directive telegram and instruction letter to each police unit as a guide to maintain political neutrality.

The police's General Inspectorate and the Professional and Security Division are ready to monitor police neutrality at the central level, while regional general inspectorates are ready to monitor police officers at the regional level, he affirmed.

He added that police personnel violating the political neutrality rule could be charged with ethics violations and under the criminal law.

"Sanctions in the Ethics Code can be imposed on anyone, who failed to maintain their neutrality in elections, either in regional- or national-level elections," Prasetyo stated.

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Translator: Laily Rahmawaty, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Sri Haryati
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