A more comprehensive security policy for RI<\/p>\n
Anak Agung Banyu Perwita, Bandung<\/p>\n
For Indonesia, like any other nations of the Third World,
\nnational security poses a serious dilemma. Unlike developed
\ncountries, developing countries must balance the complex and
\noften contradictory requirements of socioeconomic and political
\ndevelopment with problems of internal stability and the
\nrequirements of national defense.<\/p>\n
For these countries, a concept of national security that
\nfocuses primarily on the international threat system and its
\novert manifestations of wars and violence, ignoring domestic
\nwell-being, is inadequate on conceptual, policy and pragmatic
\ngrounds.<\/p>\n
The outbreak of separatism, the fear of terrorism and at the
\nsame time, the dramatic rise in cases of child malnutrition in
\nIndonesia are clear examples of the complex security problems
\nthat Indonesia has to deal with today. The need to have
\ncapability to counter all these kinds of non-traditional security
\nthreats will, then, depend on the capability to define what
\nsecurity is all about.<\/p>\n
In today's international relations, threats to security are
\nnot only military in nature, but it also include non-military
\nthreats such as transnational organized crimes, environmental
\ndegradation, cultural erosion, terrorism, food and health
\nproblems.<\/p>\n
Further, the changing security environment also has five
\ndimensions in the concept of security, namely: The origin of
\nthreats from external to domestic and from state to global, the
\nnature of threats from military to non-military threats, and the
\nchanging response from military only to non-military means. Two
\nother factors are the changing responsibility for security from
\nstates to also include non-states, and the core values of
\nsecurity from national to global and from state to individual
\n(Benjamin Miller, 2001).<\/p>\n
In other words, the broader meaning of security will cover a
\nset of aspects: from an exclusive focus on territorial security
\nto a greater emphasis on human security, and from security
\nthrough armaments to security through sustainable human
\ndevelopment.<\/p>\n
UNDP, in its report Human Development Report (1994), has
\nidentified seven dimensions of human security that should be
\nincluded in security policy, such as economic security (e.g.
\nfreedom from poverty), food security and political security.<\/p>\n
The above report show how such dimensions are interrelated and
\nif one dimension is not addressed appropriately, another is bound
\nto be affected. The low economic security of the majority of
\nIndonesian people generally results in low food and health
\nsecurity as we have witnessed today.<\/p>\n
As a result, a national security strategy should include all
\nstrands of the wider security issues and clearly articulate
\nobjectives and priorities of more comprehensive national security
\ninterests. A holistic understanding of all aspects of security
\nthen becomes the national security imperatives for Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The first imperative is that the successful national security
\nstrategies and policies in the global era require much closer
\ncoordination between the political, economic, law enforcement,
\nhealth and environmental policymaking actors in Indonesia. It
\nwill not involve only governmental agencies but also non-
\ngovernmental organizations and academicians.<\/p>\n
The second imperative will involve the non-military
\ninstruments of domestic and foreign policy. This requires more
\nrobust funding to achieve key national policy goals and work in a
\nmuch better balance with military institutions. It is not merely
\nfocused on the use of military power as an instrument of policy
\nbut incorporated with other non-military means to achieve
\ncomprehensive security. The combination of policy instruments is
\nneeded to counter the various types of threats and the nature of
\nthreats.<\/p>\n
The last imperative will involve the growing new awareness of
\nevery policy makers in local, regional and national level to the
\nhistorical, cultural, religious, environmental, technological and
\nother aspects of domestic and world affairs than they have been
\nto date. This is mainly because national security policy has, at
\nleast, two important dimensions: Physical and psychological.<\/p>\n
To conclude, a more comprehensive national security policy
\ndeals with all security problems faced by a nation-state, the
\npolicies and programs and also the governmental processes through
\nwhich the policies and programs are decided upon and carried out.
\nTo borrow the words of political analyst Rizal Sukma, a more
\ncomprehensive national security policy will include democracy,
\ndevelopment, diplomacy and defense (or the 4D's) in a more
\nsystematic way, and more sustainable.<\/p>\n
This is mainly due to the fact that the ultimate goal of a
\ncomprehensive national security policy is to protect the vital
\ncore of Indonesian lives, which addresses political, social,
\nenvironmental, economic, military and cultural values and to
\nprovide Indonesian people with the building blocks of national
\nsurvival, livelihood and dignity. This will also mean that our
\nnational security policy will be more integrated and proactive
\nthan defensive and reactive.<\/p>\n
The writer is the dean of the school of Social and Political
\nSciences at Parahyangan Catholic University in Bandung.<\/p>",
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