Director General of Polpum Asks Forkopimda Routine Evaluation of the Performance of the Task Force for Facilitated CSOs

NEWS JAVA – Director General of Politics and General Government (Dirjen Polpum) of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Bahtiar Baharuddin, instructed the regional government through the Regional Leadership Coordination Forum (Forkopimda) to routinely evaluate the performance of the Integrated Task Force for Handling and Development of Community Organizations (CSOs) which were indicated to be involved in thuggery activities.

This statement was made in the activity titled Strengthening the Actualization of Pancasila Values in Maintaining Unity and Unity of the Republic of Indonesia, which was held at the Grand Candi Hotel, Semarang, Central Java, on Friday, July 25, 2025.

The event became part of the serious efforts of the central government in curbing problematic mass organizations and suppressing the actions of thuggery which was considered increasingly threatening national stability.

In his direction, Bahtiar stressed that the right to associate and gather in society is guaranteed, but still has a boundary.

He stated that if a mass organization violated, strict sanctions would be imposed, ranging from administrative sanctions to the dissolution of the organization.

“Association and gathering in people’s lives there is a limit. So if anyone committed violations it will be given sanctions from simple sanctions, namely administrative to the dissolution,” Bahtiar said in front of the participants.

He also highlighted the phenomenon of the deviation of a number of mass organizations from the initial purpose of his establishment. According to him, although initially formed for good social purposes, many then deviate and even contrary to the spirit of democracy and constitution.

“But it turns out that in the democratic process we are no longer formed for good but are contrary to the essence of the purpose of forming the mass organization,” said Bahtiar, who had also served as Acting Governor in South Sulawesi, Sulbar and Riau Islands.

Bahtiar refers to the provisions in Law Number 17 Year 2013, which explains that mass organizations are organizations that are established voluntarily by the community based on the similarity of aspirations, will, and interests to support development for the achievement of the country’s goals.

However, according to data from the Ministry of Investment, thuggery activities and disturbances from problematic mass organizations have harmed the country up to almost Rp900 trillion.

Bahtiar said that not only the investment climate was disturbed, but also Indonesia’s global competitiveness. He cited Vietnam and Thailand which is now more in demand by foreign investors.

Furthermore, data from the Directorate General of Polpum shows that during 2024 alone, there were 1,540 cases of investment disorders caused by actions of thuggery and the actions of people’s mass organizations.

Bahtiar stressed that now is the time to curb all forms of the disorder through the active work of the integrated task force in each province.

“How disturbances occur. The time is now we are orderly. There is a task force in the province that will curb and we will evaluate,” he said.

He also asked all regency and city governments in Central Java to ensure that they had formed a similar task force. The evaluation of the performance of this task force, he said, must be done every Wednesday as part of the national assessment that will be compiled by the Coordinating Ministry for Politics, Legal and Security.

“Every week Wednesday is evaluated by the implementation of the task force,” he said.

On the same occasion, Bahtiar also reminded that the state should not be subject to the pressure of any organization.

“Don’t be afraid of unscrupulous mass organizations, the state must not submit to them,” he said in a firm tone.

This activity was also attended by the Central Java Forkopimda elements consisting of the Prosecutor’s Office, the TNI, Police, Provincial and Regency/City Kesbangpol, as well as representatives of the Semarang City Government.

The event which raised the theme of fostering the actualization of the values of Pancasila was also coupled with an evaluation session for the formation of an integrated task force for handling and fostering mass organizations involved in activities that disturb the public and disrupt investment.

Bahtiar was accompanied by the Director of Ideology, Character, and National Insight Sri Handoko Taruna, S.STP as the person in charge of the activity, Director of the Ministry of Home Affairs Polpum Ormas Budi Arwan, S.STP, and the Regional Secretary of Central Java Province Sumarni, SE, who helped provide direction and open dialogue related to the eradication of thuggery and organizers who damaged social and economic order. ***