Jakarta. New National Police Chief Gen. Suyudi Ario Seto said he learned of his nomination only Thursday morning, setting off an unusually compressed series of events that took him from preparing for a parliamentary hearing to being sworn in by President Prabowo Subianto within hours.

Appointments of National Police chiefs typically involve several stages, including a presidential nomination, a fit-and-proper test before the House of Representatives, parliamentary approval and a presidential inauguration.

For Suyudi, virtually all the publicly visible stages unfolded on Thursday.

“I only received the information this morning, so I immediately prepared myself for the fit-and-proper test at the House,” Suyudi told reporters after his inauguration at the State Palace.

The presidential letter proposing Suyudi as the sole candidate had reached the House leadership the previous day, Sept. 30. Commission III, which oversees legal and security affairs, began his fit-and-proper test at around 9:10 a.m. Thursday.

Suyudi said the limited notice gave him little time to prepare.

“We already had some concepts, and of course, with the limited time available, we refined them again,” he said.

Commission III subsequently approved his nomination by acclamation. The full House then endorsed his appointment during a plenary session led by House Speaker Puan Maharani.

Hours later, Prabowo inaugurated Suyudi at the State Palace, completing a remarkably rapid transition at the top of Indonesia's police force.

Under Indonesia's National Police Law, the president appoints and dismisses the National Police chief with the approval of the House. The legislature is given up to 20 working days to respond to a presidential proposal. Suyudi's nomination cleared the parliamentary process in a fraction of that time.

No Hint Two Days Earlier
Suyudi said the information about his nomination came from an official at the presidential palace, but declined to identify the person or disclose the official's position.

The sudden appointment was particularly striking because Suyudi had met Prabowo at the palace just two days earlier in his then-capacity as head of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN).

Suyudi attended a limited Cabinet meeting on Tuesday with Prabowo and other officials to discuss drug rehabilitation and related issues.

He insisted there had been no discussion during that meeting about his becoming National Police chief.

At the time, Suyudi said, the talks focused on drug rehabilitation, education and overcrowding in correctional facilities.

Suyudi replaces Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo, who had led the National Police since 2021 and was appointed presidential chief of staff as part of Thursday's government reshuffle.

Listyo publicly congratulated his successor after the inauguration, saying he knew Suyudi well and praising his work ethic and integrity.

“We entrust him with the great responsibility of leading the National Police and continuing to provide the best possible service to the public,” Listyo said.

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