'Anti-terrorism drive threatens democracy'<\/p>\n
Muhammad Nafik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The nation was told on Tuesday to be cautious of the course of
\nthe global fight against terrorism, which may jeopardize the
\ndevelopment of Indonesia's infantile democracy.<\/p>\n
Analysts warned that the anti-terrorism campaign could further
\nharm democracy as Indonesia's civilian government has been
\nweakened in running the crisis-battered country.<\/p>\n
Currently, the development of democracy is languishing at
\npresent, with members of the political elite struggling for power
\nahead of the 2004 elections and ignoring the interests of people
\nand the nation, they said.<\/p>\n
Taufik Abdullah, a senior researcher with the Indonesian
\nInstitute of Sciences (LIPI), told a seminar here that the
\ngovernment's moves to combat terrorism have begun threatening
\ndemocracy.<\/p>\n
\"The violent removal of Abu Bakar Ba'asyir by police from
\nhospital (in Central Java) yesterday is an example. Why did the
\nsecurity insist on taking the old man who was clearly sick?\" he
\ncomplained on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\"The police should have negotiated with Ba'asyir's supporters
\nto avoid violence. They stepped over the line in detaining him so
\nviolently,\" he told The Jakarta Post before addressing the
\nseminar organized by the Habibie Center.<\/p>\n
Ba'asyir, a detained cleric suspected of involvement in a
\nstring of bombings across the country, was removed from the
\nMuhammadiyah hospital in the Central Java town of Surakarta for
\nquestioning in Jakarta. The move sparked a clash between around
\n150 of his supporters and police.<\/p>\n
Last Friday, The International Crisis Group (ICG) released a
\nreport that warned Indonesia against sacrificing its fledgling
\ndemocracy for the sake of the fight against terrorism, which has
\nintensified following the Bali bombing on Oct. 12.<\/p>\n
The Brussels-based think-tank said foreign pressure on
\nPresident Megawati Soekarnoputri to clamp down on terrorists
\nsuspected of carrying out the nightclub blast could strengthen
\nthe military's role in local security.<\/p>\n
However, Taufik and other critics also slammed Ba'asyir's
\nsupporters for their attempts to violently resist the police.<\/p>\n
Another political analyst Indria Samego joined the criticism,
\nsaying the anti-terrorism operation was undermining the process
\nof democracy in the country.<\/p>\n
He argued that foreign pressure to crack down on terrorist
\nsuspects had robbed Indonesia of its \"freedom\" to promote its
\ndemocracy.<\/p>\n
Indria admitted that the current process of democracy had
\nactually been hindered by the power struggle among politicians
\nwho have been berated for failing to heed public aspirations.<\/p>\n
Former justice minister Muladi and another political observer
\nDewi Fortuna Anwar, both from the Habibie Center, shared a
\nsimilar view and said a threat to democracy was imminent
\nfollowing the war on terrorism.<\/p>\n
The society and the media must remain watchful to counter the
\nworries, they said.<\/p>\n
They said the investigations into terror attacks and their
\nsuspects, particularly Ba'asyir, should be made transparent to
\navoid possible manipulation by authorities or other parties.<\/p>\n
\"We should be cautious in dealing with terrorism because it
\ncould harm the democracy we are developing. Terrorists and
\nMuslims should clearly be differentiated,\" Dewi told the Post.<\/p>\n
She warned the nation of a military comeback in ruling the
\ncountry amid the anti-terrorism drive if violence continued to
\nrage on under the \"weakened\" civilian government.<\/p>\n
\"We however should support the fight against terrorism by
\nempowering the state (under the civilian leadership) because
\notherwise the military rulers could make a comeback if conflicts
\ncannot be put to an end,\" Dewi said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/anti-terrorism-drive-threatens-democracy-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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