Is National Police Chief Listyo Sigit at Risk of Being Replaced?
The issue of replacing the National Police Chief has intensified again after news circulated that President Prabowo Subianto had sent a presidential letter (supres) to the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) regarding the position of General Pol Listyo Sigit Prabowo.
Calls for the National Police Chief’s replacement were previously widely voiced by various parties, from observers to students, following the accident involving online motorcycle taxi driver Affan Kurniawan, who was hit by a Brimob officer in late August 2025.
Furthermore, Listyo was also deemed to have failed to control the situation during the wave of flooding from late August to early September, which claimed at least 10 lives.
Two Candidates for Replacement
Information circulating among journalists indicates that the Palace has submitted two names for high-ranking Commissioner Generals (Komjen) to the DPR. One of them was recently promoted to three-star general.
One of the names that has emerged is Commissioner General Pol Suyudi Ario Seto, the Head of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), who was recently promoted from Inspector General to Commissioner General. Suyudi, a 1994 Police Academy graduate, is known for his experience in the field of investigation and has held several important positions, from Chief of Police to Chief of Regional Police.
In addition to Suyudi, Commissioner General Dedi Prasetyo is also rumored to be a candidate for the National Police Chief position. Dedi currently serves as Deputy Chief of Police, having previously served as Head of the National Police Public Relations Division and Chief of the Central Kalimantan Regional Police.
Press Call for Police Reform
Police observer from ISESS, Bambang Rukminto, believes that the replacement of the National Police Chief is merely a matter of the President’s prerogative. However, he emphasized that police reform should not be merely a change of leadership, but rather a structural and systemic overhaul.
“If the formation of the National Police Reform Team is only to expedite the replacement of the National Police Chief without addressing the substantive issues, that would be nothing more than a pipe dream,” he said on Friday (September 12, 2025).
Bambang emphasized that if the government is serious about improving the National Police institution, revising the National Police Law is a fundamental step that must be taken.
To date, the Indonesian House of Representatives has not issued an official response to the presidential decree on the replacement of the National Police Chief. However, rumors are circulating that an official announcement from the Palace will be made soon, possibly this weekend or early next week.
