House divided over antiterrorism rules<\/p>\n
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
President Megawati Soekarnoputri will likely face a tough
\nchallenge in securing support to go on with her war against
\nterrorism as influential factions in the House of Representatives
\n(DPR) are divided over the antiterrorism regulations and the
\nbill.<\/p>\n
The United Development Party (PPP) and Reform factions said on
\nFriday that they would reject the two government regulations in
\nlieu of a law on terrorism and the investigation into the Bali
\nterrorist attacks on Oct. 12 for fear of political abuse.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Golkar, the second biggest faction in the House
\nwith 120 members, chose to delay revealing its position until
\nMonday when all factions are expected to read their final stance
\non the government's antiterrorism drive.<\/p>\n
That left Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
\n(PDI Perjuangan) and the Indonesian Military\/Police as the only
\nfactions that strongly support the government's policies in
\nfighting terrorism.<\/p>\n
The National Awakening Party had earlier expressed its support
\nfor the two regulations.<\/p>\n
In the wake of the deadly Bali terrorist attacks, the
\ngovernment issued two antiterrorism regulations and planned to
\nsubmit the country's first ever antiterrorism bill to the House
\nfor deliberation next week.<\/p>\n
Akil Mochtar of Golkar personally rejected the regulations on
\nThursday before a meeting between House Commission II for home
\naffairs and legal affairs and ministers under the Coordinating
\nMinister of Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang
\nYudhoyono.<\/p>\n
\"The regulations give elbowroom for human rights abuses and
\ncreate panic in society with the possible return of repressive
\napproaches to upholding the law,\" Akil told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Chairul Umam Lubis of PPP, which is headed by Vice President
\nHamzah Haz, said his faction deemed the regulations as part of
\nthe U.S.-led battle against terrorist groups.<\/p>\n
\"We have examined the regulations and decided to refuse them
\non the basis that their contents are unacceptable. We also found
\nthat the regulations were likely engineered and are only the
\nproducts of our dependence on the United States,\" Chairul told
\nreporters after the faction met with the Indonesian Mujahidin
\nCouncil (MMI).<\/p>\n
Chairul said the Criminal Code was enough to ensnare possible
\nsuspects of terror acts.<\/p>\n
Akil pointed out that the regulations were not comprehensively
\ndescribing the main target of the war against terrorism.<\/p>\n
The regulations, said Akil, tended to justify the prevailing
\nopinion that there were local terrorist networks operating in the
\ncountry instead.<\/p>\n
\"Indonesians overseas may live in fear for being named
\nterrorist suspects although it has yet to be made clear which
\norganizations they represent,\" said Akil, referring to the raids
\non homes belonging to Indonesian citizens in Australia.<\/p>\n
Akil, however, did not reveal the particular points in the
\nregulations that he rejected.<\/p>\n
Chairman of the TNI\/Police faction Slamet Supriyadi expressed
\nshock over the draconian stigma given to the regulations.<\/p>\n
\"Why are people afraid of the regulations more than they are
\nof terrorism?\" he asked.<\/p>\n
He underlined that the regulations were much better than
\nsimilar acts imposed in other countries because they provided
\nlegal and human rights protection for terrorist suspects,
\nwitnesses and any members of the public who become victims.<\/p>\n
Not much difference can be found between the two regulations
\nand the antiterrorism bill, he added, \"so we don't have to take
\ntoo much time in the bill's deliberation\".<\/p>\n
Law expert Hamid Awaluddin of South Sulawesi's Hassanuddin
\nUniversity, who was a member of the team drafting the
\nantiterrorism bill, told the Post on Friday that the government
\nhad scrapped the phrase \"political motives\" from the description
\nof terror acts to avoid the possibility of repression by the
\ngovernment against political opponents.<\/p>",
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