National Police announce plan to hold mural competition

After a series of mural erasure in several areas and “visits” to the artists behind those murals, the National Police announced a plan to hold a mural competition. The institution will offer Piala Polri (National Police Cup) as the award for the winner.

Head of the Public Information Bureau of the National Police Public Relations Division, Brig. Gen. Rusdi Hartono confirmed this plan. However, he said that the time of the event is still to be determined. There is no explanation yet as to what the competition is going to be held for.

President Joko Widodo on 15 September addressed the mural cover-ups. He said he had no idea about the repressive actions taken by the police towards mural artists also and that he has scolded the chief of the National Police about this issue. “The National Police chief said it wasn’t their initiative, it was the chief of the resort police,” he explained, “the chief of the resort police said that it wasn’t theirs, it was the head of the sector police.”

CNN reported that several mural artists are showing not only skepticism, but also reluctance to participate in the competition. Andrew, an Anti-Tank Project artist, said that this could be a strategy to gain the public trust regarding freedom of expression.  

Alodia, a visual artist, told TFR that she is skeptical and prefers not to participate. “I don’t feel like the institution is in line with my vision and work,” she explained.