Prof. Henry Appreciates Commitment of New National Police Chief General Suyudi

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – The Plenary Session of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) approved the appointment of Police General Suyudi Ario Seto as the new Chief of the Indonesian National Police (Kapolri) replacing General Listyo Sigit Prabowo. The decision was made swiftly after Commission III of the House conducted a brief fit-and-proper test of the sole nominee, referring to Presidential Letter No. R57/Pres/09/2026.

The session was chaired by DPR Speaker Puan Maharani and attended by 383 lawmakers. Later that afternoon, on Thursday, October 1, 2026, a senior Indonesian police officer who previously served as the head of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) was sworn in by President Prabowo Subianto.

A professor at Sultan Agung Islamic University (Unissula) in Semarang, Prof. Dr. Henry Indraguna, S.H., M.H., views the efficiency of the parliamentary approval process as a positive signal for constitutional stability and a guarantee of President Prabowo administration remains stable within two years.

The legal expert also stated that legal certainty fundamentally requires responsive leadership that does not become trapped in prolonged procedural dynamics. “Strong legal legitimacy is achieved when constitutional certainty is aligned with the objective needs of an institution,” Prof. Henry told the media in commenting on President Prabowo’s appointment of General Suyudi Ario Seto as the new Chief of the Indonesian National Police.

On the same occasion, Prof. Henry, who is also a senior lawyer, expressed his appreciation for General Listyo Sigit Prabowo’s leadership of the Indonesian National Police for more than five years. According to him, General Listyo successfully instilled the doctrine of providing public service as the primary orientation of police duties in the modern era.

He added that General Listyo had also succeeded in reviving the spirit of General Hoegeng as a moral compass for transforming the National Police into a true protector of the people. In addition, General Listyo promoted the National Police’s “Presisi” slogan, Predictive, Responsiveness, and Transparency which became the central concept of the policing approach during his tenure.

“And even more importantly, going forward, one of the visions of the new Chief of the Indonesian National Police, General Suyudi Ario Seto, is to eliminate the ‘no viral, no justice’ credo from Indonesia’s legal service system. This means that the National Police must take active and swift action in carrying out its functions without having to wait for an incident to go viral first,” the DPR RI expert adviser.

The holder of a Doctorate in Law from Sebelas Maret University (UNS) in Surakarta also referred to Roscoe Pound’s concept of law as a tool of social engineering. Prof. Henry further reminded that, according to Gustav Radbruch’s legal philosophy, the purpose of law requires a balance between legal certainty (Rechtssicherheit), utility (Zweckmässigkeit), and justice (Gerechtigkeit).

“Law must not be viewed merely as an instrument of power, but rather as a means of creating order and distributive justice for all segments of society,” he conveyed.

The Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Indonesian Advocates Congress (KAI) also noted that General Suyudi’s extensive experience at the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), along with his strategic positions, could serve as a philosophical foundation for continuing and strengthening a legacy of just and humane leadership.

“The greatest challenge facing the institution today is to continuously transform formal legal values into substantive justice that can be directly felt by the public,” he mentioned.