Prabowo Jokes About Police Autonomy: 'They Don't Want to Be Under the Defense Ministry'

During a harvest festival event in Malang, East Java, on Friday (17/7), Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto humorously commented on the Indonesian National Police (Polri) not being under the Ministry of Defense, unlike the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI). The event was attended by National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, TNI Commander General Agus Subiyanto, and Minister of Defense Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin. Prabowo recounted an anecdote from his time as Minister of Defense. He mentioned being offered the PT Pindad-made jeep, Maung, and jokingly stated that the police did not want to be under the Ministry of Defense, unlike the TNI. "When I was Minister of Defense, it was proposed, 'Sir, TNI...' At that time, I was the Minister of Defense, so I couldn't handle the police. Sorry, the police don't want to be under the Minister of Defense," Prabowo said, followed by laughter from the audience. The President explained that he was presented with two options: a foreign-made jeep that was cheaper and of good quality, or the Maung, which was more expensive but an Indonesian product. Ultimately, he chose the Maung to support domestic industry. Institutionally, the Indonesian National Police report directly to the President and are not placed under any ministry. This contrasts with the TNI, which is under the Ministry of Defense for administrative and budget planning purposes. Source: CNN Indonesia