Politics and Governance in Indonesia ― The Police in the Era of Reformasi

The importance of the police in politics and the political significance of the police function in a democratic society in particular has been acknowledged in recent years. This book explains the changing position of the police in the post-Suharto era in Indonesia.

It focuses on two key areas, the differences between local and national levels and the politicization associated with decentralization. The author provides a comprehensive historical overview of the position of police in the change of regimes in Indonesia. He examines key issues in the post-Suharto’s Indonesia, including good governance, extortion practices and corruption in security institutions. The book’s main analysis focuses on the process of disassociation the police from the military and its effect on the relationship between the police, military and government – both at national and local level. Arguing that the disassociation of the Indonesian National Police from the military has achieved only limited success, the book contends that there is continued impetus for the establishment of a professional police and modern and democratic policing, which will entail an effective public control on the police.

A pioneering study of the police in Indonesia, this book will be of interest to scholars of Southeast Asian Politics and policing and politics in the developing world.

Muradi received his PhD from Flinders University, Australia. He is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Government, Faculty of Political and Social Sciences at the University of Padjadjaran, Jatinangor, Indonesia.