President Joko Widodo (right) inaugurates Commissioner General Listyo Sigit Prabowo (left) as the new National Police chief at the State Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia’s massive capital. The Pentecostal Christian, was unanimously approved by the parliament, despite opposition of Islamic groups.
By Our Reporter & News Agencies
Indonesia, the country with the single largest population of Muslims in the world, has named a Christian as the new head of the national police.
According to Evangelical Focus, General Listyo Sigit Prabowo is the third official in the country from a minority group to hold this position in nearly 50 years.
Before his appointment, Uganda Christian news understands that General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, a Pentecostal Christian according to Evangelical Focus, was the chief of the Criminal Investigation Agency of Indonesia.
He was, according to the Christian Post, President Joko Widodo’s only candidate, unanimously approved by the People’s Representative Council, Indonesia’s lower house of parliament.
The 52-year-old was sworn in on Jan. 27 as police chief, succeeding Gen. Idham Azis who retired on Feb.1.
UCA News reported that General Prabowo’s appointment triggered division among Muslims with Muhyiddin Junaidi, chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), saying “even though Indonesia is a secular country, it would not be appropriate if the leader of the police had a non-Muslim background. It was natural for leaders of any country to have the same religion as that of the majority of the population”.
The “Front Pembela” and Indonesian supporters of the international Islamic terror network “Hizb ut-Tahrir” (Liberation Party) also tried to mobilize people in the streets of Jakarta against the inauguration of the “Man of Ambon”, as they call him, after his hometown.
Despite the incidents, opposition to Prabowo’s candidacy was minimal, since he received the support of leading Muslim organisations and Islamic clerics in the country.
Sources report that the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (CCI/PGI) welcomed the new police chief’s appointment, stating that “Prabowo’s religion did not play a role, what matters is his past achievements and successes, as well as his vision for the future of Indonesia as a democratic, free, but orderly country”.
“His appointment shows that every citizen has the same rights to reach a position of leadership”, they added.
Gen. Prabowo was quoted by media reporters as saying that he will improve the police force during his stay in the new office and “promote diversity”, to counter the discrimination Indonesian minorities often endure.
He also said that he will fight against extremism, support religious freedom and work “to create a trustworthy and transparent police, to be the protector of all citizens of the nation”.
“The various experiences of the nation and the state so far will certainly be valuable lessons for all of us in the effort to continue police reform”, he said in his acceptance speech.
Islam oppression
In Indonesia, the violence against Christians has increased in the recent years. Just recently, the government banned public schools from making religious attire compulsory, after the story of a Christian student being pressured to wear a headscarf in class went viral.
In 2017, Rizieq Shihab, the leader of Islamic Defenders Front, a strong Muslim extremist movement, accused former Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, “Ahok” of ‘blasphemy’ against Islam. “Ahok”, also an evangelical Christian, was found guilty and had to spend one and a half years in prison, being released in 2019.
