Indonesia must clean up terrorism<\/p>\n
Amien Rais, Speaker People's Consultative Assembly, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The recent JW Marriott Hotel bombing in Jakarta did not only
\nleave a deep scar on those who lost their loved ones, but
\nmoreover a majority of Indonesians. The public's shock has yet to
\nwane, and it will take some time for this wound to heal and bring
\nlife back to its normal pace again.<\/p>\n
Indonesian Muslims are generally peaceful, tolerant and well-
\nmotivated; the suspected actions of Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) and any
\nother extremist factions are therefore rejected by the Indonesian
\npeople and its leadership. I am convinced that 99 percent of
\nIndonesians condemned these cowardly attacks, which were
\nobviously targeted at Westerners, but resulted in the death of
\nIndonesians: Taxi drivers, security guards and innocent
\nbystanders.<\/p>\n
If these terrorists were aiming to make a statement and rally
\npublic support behind their cause, the bombing attack achieved
\njust the opposite. Our determination to combat terrorism has
\nbecome greater then ever. I personally took a very strong stand
\non these matters at the time of the Bali bombing, which has been
\nproved correct by the passage of time and events.<\/p>\n
Following the attacks, a senior official foreshadowed the need
\nfor an Internal Security Act similar to those in Singapore and
\nMalaysia.<\/p>\n
Although supported by a number of other government officials,
\nI have my doubts that this idea will ever become law. The heart
\nof the problem does not lie in the incompleteness of a regulatory
\nframework, but in the capacity of the Indonesian security and
\nintelligence authorities to prepare for and prevent similar
\nattacks from reoccurring. Adding new laws will not stop a new
\nbreed of Amrozi's and Hambali's to start aiming for new targets;
\nbut having the police force and national intelligence step up its
\ncapabilities to detect underground terrorist activities certainly
\nwill.<\/p>\n
We have made the right steps by admitting our lack of
\ntechnical skill in dealing with terrorism and have requested the
\ncooperation of foreign institutions, such as the Federal Bureau
\nof Investigation, the Australian Federal Police, Scotland Yard
\nand others. It is important to establish a stronger and
\ncontinuous relationship with these police agencies, for as long
\nas it takes to train our police force to meet the public's
\nhighest expectations.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian public is united in the fight against all forms
\nof terrorism. The Jakarta bombing tragedy, as painful as it may
\nbe to most of us, has given Indonesians a stronger incentive to
\neradicate terrorism from our country. I trust the international
\ncommunity does not believe that JI somehow speaks for Indonesia
\nand Indonesians.<\/p>\n
Finally, the government needs to "act" and not "react" to
\ndetect terrorist activity before and not after the event. If the
\nBali bombing of last year was a "wake up call" for the Jakarta
\ngovernment, the Marriott bombing was indeed a slap in the face of
\nour security apparatus. Another incident of this nature will not
\nbe slap but a serious body blow. We have to prevent this grim
\nscenario at all costs.
\nThe above views are personnal.<\/p>",
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