Indonesia's Natalius Pigai pushes for civilian appointments in the police

Natalius Pigai, Indonesia's minister of human rights, has proposed opening non‑operational, strategic positions within the National Police (Polri) to qualified civilian professionals. The proposal, backed by Indonesia Youth Epicentrum, aims to modernise the force, separate operational duties from administrative tasks, improve governance and promote inclusivity.

Pigai argues the move mirrors civilian oversight models used in countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, France and the Netherlands, and would apply to roles in finance, technology, human resources and management—not to operational command. He says allowing civilians into senior police posts could ease long‑standing civil‑military tensions and enable merit‑based promotion for civilians up to senior civil‑service grades.

The initiative is being incorporated into the ongoing revision of Police Law No. 2/2002 under discussion in the Indonesian parliament. The draft also contains other reforms, such as extending pension ages for police personnel. Pigai plans to work with experts to finalize the proposal for legislative debate.