BIN's new role to bosst RI's intelligence<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The issuance of a new presidential instruction that tasked the
\nState Intelligence Agency (BIN) to coordinate intelligence
\noperations in the country would strengthen the country's
\nintelligence capability in the early detection of security
\nthreats, according to analysts.<\/p>\n
Reviving the coordinating role of BIN, analysts said on
\nWednesday, would support the prevention measures needed in
\nanticipating threats to Indonesia's security.<\/p>\n
\"The issuance of the presidential instruction shows that the
\ngovernment has corrected itself as they need to empower the
\nintelligence body,\" intelligence observer Djuanda told The
\nJakarta Post.<\/p>\n
President Megawati Soekarnoputri issued two presidential
\ninstructions on Tuesday night before departing to attend the Asia
\nPacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Mexico.<\/p>\n
Instruction No. 5\/2002, gives the BIN chief authority to
\ncoordinate the planning and conducting of all intelligence
\noperations in the country.<\/p>\n
Presidential Instruction No. 4\/2002, appoints the coordinating
\nminister for political and security affairs to head all related
\ndepartments in the war against terrorism, especially in the probe
\nof the Bali bombing case.<\/p>\n
Djuanda, former intelligence advisor to president Abdurrahman
\nWahid, expressed the hope that with the new authority, BIN chief
\nLet. Gen. (ret.) A.M. Hendropriyono would not abuse his power.<\/p>\n
\"We hope that BIN uses its power effectively and intensifies
\ncooperation with other intelligence agencies,\" Djuanda said.<\/p>\n
He said intensifying communication among intelligence agencies
\nin the country would be necessary to prevent competition in
\nconducting intelligence operations.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has four intelligence units, including BIN. The
\nother three are the Military Strategic Intelligence Agency
\n(BAIS), the police intelligence unit and the intelligence unit at
\nthe Attorney General's Office.<\/p>\n
The country used to have the State Intelligence Coordinating
\nAgency (BAKIN), which coordinated intelligence operations in the
\ncountry. BAKIN was disbanded by Abdurrahman, who then formed BIN.
\nThe new presidential instruction, nevertheless, virtually
\nrestores BAKIN's function.<\/p>\n
Deputy Cabinet Secretary Erman Radjagukguk told the Post that
\nthe decision to issue the two instructions was reached during the
\nCabinet meeting on the government regulations in lieu of law on
\nterrorism last Friday.<\/p>\n
\"The Indonesian Military chief and National Police chief were
\nboth consulted in drafting the instruction and neither objected
\nto the granting of more authority to BIN,\" Erman said.<\/p>\n
Separately, analyst Kusnanto Anggoro cautiously welcomed the
\ndecision underlining that it should be followed by an improvement
\nin the capability of the government to control intelligence
\nagents so that they do not abuse their power.<\/p>\n
\"There should be a distinction between detecting threats to
\nsecurity and threats to democracy and we should supervise the use
\nof the new authority,\" Kusnanto said.<\/p>\n
He also questioned the ability of BIN chief Hendropriyono in
\nintensifying communication among intelligence units in the
\ncountry as \"each intelligence agency has a rigid chain of
\ncommand.\"<\/p>\n
Djuanda said that such weaknesses could be overcome if
\nHendropriyono took the initiative to conduct regular meetings of
\nthe agencies.<\/p>\n
\"It is particularly important to coordinate between the
\nmilitary and police intelligence agencies because the two have a
\nbroad network across the country and a strong base among the
\npeople,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said that it would be impossible to compare the power of
\nthe two agencies as their work involved two different fields.<\/p>\n
\"The police mostly concentrate on early warning, while the
\nmilitary on defense matters,\" Djuanda said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bins-new-role-to-bosst-ris-intelligence-1447893297",
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