Adhyasta Dirgantara, Nawir Arsyad Akbar, Jakarta – The Civil Society Coalition for Agrarian Justice has condemned the inauguration of Police Commissioner General Dedi Prasetyo as Head of the National Agrarian Reform Agency (BRAN).
The Coalition said that this inauguration confirmed their initial concerns regarding the Agrarian Reform Law (UU PRA).
"This law was drafted hastily. It also gives the president a blank check to appoint the head of BRAN, and at the same time expanding criminal penalties", the Coalition wrote in a press release on Sunday October 4.
"The combination of these two things opens the way for security forces to lead the agrarian agenda and makes the UU PRA a repressive tool against farmers, indigenous communities, and ordinary citizens defending their land", they continued.
The Coalition also questioned which draft of the PRA Law had actually been passed, and whether it had been promulgated and numbered.
Because to this day, the House of Representatives (DPR) and the government have not released the official draft of the PRA Law to the public.
"The one and only reference in circulation is the draft dated September 19, 2026. The public cannot be certain whether the draft that was enacted is the same as the one approved in the plenary session", explained the Coalition.
The Coalition believes that this closed nature further obscures the PRA Law and violates the principle of transparency in the formation of legislation.
In addition to this, the Coalition questions the legal basis for the establishment of the BRAN.
This is because Article 14 of the draft PRA Law delegates the regulation on the formation, functions, duties, authority and organisational structure of the BRAN to a presidential regulation.
Meanwhile, up until Prasetyo's inauguration, the presidential regulation had not been made public.
"Someone was appointed to lead an institution whose duties, authorities, and organisational structure are not yet publicly available. This situation shows that the inauguration was prioritised before the institution had a clear basis", they complained.
The Coalition said that the appointment of a high-ranking National Police officer as the head of BRAN raises serious concerns that agrarian reform will be implemented with a security approach and enforcement operations against people's land.
They also highlighted Prasetyo's questionable track record in agrarian conflicts.
"When he served as Central Kalimantan Regional Police Chief, Dedi justified the arrest of Effendi Buhing, head of the Laman Kinipan Indigenous Community, in August 2020 amidst a conflict over customary territory with [the palm oil company] PT Sawit Mandiri Lestari, and said that the action was in accordance with procedures", stated the Coalition.
The Coalition emphasised that criminalisation is one of the main issue in agrarian conflicts and the seizure of living space. Throughout 2025, the Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) and the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) handled 94 agrarian conflict cases.
From these cases recurring pattern can be seen from year to year, namely violence, torture, criminalisation and excessive use of force by police officers.
This finding are in line with the National Human Rights Commission's (Komnas HAM) records, which has received at least 160 complaints regarding police actions in handling agrarian conflicts over the past four years.
This risk is even bigger because Article 58 paragraph (1) of the draft PRA Law carries a five-year prison sentence for anyone obstructing the implementation of agrarian reform, in addition to a number of other criminal provisions.
"A head of BRAN from the police who is furnished with such broad criminal instruments, has the potential to further escalate agrarian conflicts", asserted the Coalition.
Furthermore, the Coalition stated that the inauguration also contradicts Constitutional Court ruling Number 114/PUU-XXIII/2025, which was read out on November 13, 2025.
In this ruling, the Constitutional Court removed the phrase "whether or not it is based on assignment from the Chief of Police" from the explanation of Article 28 paragraph (3) of the Police Law.
As a result, active police officers who will hold positions outside the police force are required to resign or retire first.
"If Dedi Prasetyo was inaugurated as an active police officer, the president has ignored the Constitutional Court's final and binding decision", the Coalition asserted.
Therefore, the Coalition believes that public positions that determine the fate of millions of farmers and indigenous peoples are being filled entirely at the president's discretion.
Yet, they said, agrarian reform requires leaders who understand the inequality in land ownership and side with victims of agrarian conflict.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Koalisi Sipil Kecewa Jenderal Polisi Jadi Kepala Badan Reforma Agraria Nasional".]
