REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesian policewomen will be allowed to wear headscarves on duty, according to a top police official.

"Starting tomorrow, women who wish to wear headscarves can do so while on duty," the new national police chief, General Sutarman, said after meeting with members of the Forum of Chief Editors at the National Police Headquarters here on Tuesday.

He said wearing a headscarf is a person's human right and, therefore, he would allow women to wear headscarves if they believed it was part of their religious obligation.

General Sutarman, however, added that the police did not have a budget for procuring headscarves for women.

"So, any member of the police force who wants to wear a headscarf, please do so, but we do not have a budget for that. You will have to buy the headscarf yourself," he pointed out.

The police regulation Skep/702/IX/2005 on uniforms states that women are not required wearing headscarves, except in Aceh, where it is necessary for women to wear headscarves.

Under former national police Chief General Timur Pradopo, a draft regulation was prepared for policewomen wishing to wear headscarves.

General Pradopo had also proposed 61 designs for policewomen, which could be used as reference when issuing any regulation in future.

The Deputy chairman of the House of Representative' Commission III overseeing among others police affairs, Al Muzammil Yusuf, meanwhile, has applauded the new police chief for his decision to allow policewomen to wear headscarves on duty.

He said the decision was consistent with the police chief's statement made during the Commission test.

The legislator from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) said he hoped General Sutarman would enforce his decision immediately.

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