Reviving regional spy network is a dangerous idea<\/p>\n
Ardimas Sasdi
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
One of the bizarre aspects of the government's plan to revive
\nthe notorious regional intelligence network has been that it has
\nignored the anxiety of the people. Even more bizarrely, is its
\ndecision to secretly set up the agency despite the hue and cry
\nabout it.<\/p>\n
Sudarsono Hardjosoekarto, the Director General of Nation Unity
\nand Politics at the Ministry of Home Affairs, said on Wednesday
\n-- a week after idea was launched by the President -- that almost
\nall regional administrations had established the intelligence
\ncommunity (Kominda).<\/p>\n
What a swift action; a contrast to the inefficiency and
\nirresponsiveness that normally characterizes the bureaucracy. But
\nthis showed the government would do anything and at any cost to
\nachieve its goals, even though this would mean ignoring the voice
\nof the people, who are still traumatized by bad experiences
\ndealing with intelligence agents in the past.<\/p>\n
The haste and secretive way by which the government worked
\nprobably explains why there was a mix-up in names used by
\nofficials for the agency.<\/p>\n
In a bid to track down terrorists, President Susilo Bambang
\nYudhoyono ordered the country's governors last Thursday to revive
\nBakorinda, a Regional Intelligence Coordinating Agency which was
\nmade known to the people only after the announcement.<\/p>\n
J. Kristiadi, a researcher at the Centre for Strategic and
\nInternational Studies (CSIS), told a national newspaper, "The
\npeople are questioning about an agency the government wants to
\nrevive? In the past there were Bakin (State Intelligence
\nCoordinating Board), Pusintelstrat (Strategic Intelligence
\nCenter), Sintel Kopkamtib (Intelligence Center for Operational
\nCommand for the Restoration of Security and Order), Bais (ABRI's
\nStrategic Intelligence Agency) and intelligence agencies under
\nthe police force and prosecutor's office."<\/p>\n
The four intelligence agencies, except Bakin, were under the
\nmilitary, but all were chaired by generals close to Soeharto.
\nLike intelligence bodies in authoritarian countries, the agencies
\nwere the arm of Soeharto to stifle opposition with powers to
\nconduct surveillance, infiltrate targets and arrest suspects
\ndeemed as state enemies. These agencies were also responsible for
\nscreening people, who would be promoted to key positions in the
\nexecutive branch.<\/p>\n
With accountability lacking, agents often used foul methods
\nlike physical and mental torture to extract information from
\ndetainees. The results were predictable: detainees suffered and
\nrefuted testimonies in court, saying that they were framed or
\nforced to admit crimes they never did during questioning.<\/p>\n
Intelligence agents also spied on clerics, priests, activists
\nof non-governmental organizations and academicians under the
\npretext of preventing extremism, leaving disastrous impacts.
\nAcademicians, for example, avoided discussion on sensitive
\nissues, although this is still within a corridor of academic
\nfreedom after seeing outspoken scholars lose their positions or
\nhave their professorship delayed by rectors, who were military
\nfigures or academics loyal to Soeharto.<\/p>\n
The list of abuses of intelligence agencies in the past, which
\ndeepened public resentment toward the network, is long. One of
\nthe most extreme examples was the use of intelligence agents by
\nstate-owned and private companies to coerce people to accept
\nprices unilaterally set by them to acquire land for mega
\nprojects.<\/p>\n
The negative image and trauma are still fresh in the minds of
\nthe people. So it comes as no surprise that the public strongly
\nopposes plans to revive the regional intelligence network in
\nprovinces or expand intelligence powers.<\/p>\n
"It sounds scary," Agung Yudhawiranata of the rights group
\nElsam told The Associated Press. "We worry that the Soeharto era
\nhas returned and that the agency will use the pretext of fighting
\nterrorism to violate individuals' rights ..."<\/p>\n
Activists like Agung are fully aware of the threat of
\nterrorism, which has continued to haunt Indonesia since the Bali
\nbombings in 2002. The subsequent attacks on the JW Marriott
\nJakarta hotel, the Australian Embassy and more recently, the
\npublic market in Tentena in 2005, have opened the eyes of the
\npublic to the fatal threat of terrorism.<\/p>\n
But public anxiety, including that of journalists who know
\nwell how difficult it was to carry out their journalistic duty
\nduring the New Order era, over the possibility of abuse of
\nintelligence agencies by the power holders, still dominated by
\nremnants of the New Order regime, outweigh their fears of
\nterrorism. This notion was properly illustrated by a hard-hitting
\neditorial of The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
"In the fight against terrorism, law enforcers can complain
\nall they want about their lack of power .... But until there are
\nmuch better checks and balances, we would like to see their
\nimproved record in this war before giving them a blank check and
\na potential return to the days when intelligence authorities
\nprofessed ignorance about civil liberties and thought their job
\nwas to serve whoever had the power to define a 'state enemy'."<\/p>\n
The promise of the government that the revival of the
\nintelligence network would not impinge on the young, hard-gained
\ndemocracy is simply not enough. The people want to see a change
\nin the culture of intelligence agents and improved cooperation
\namong intelligence agencies, which is lacking due to vested
\ninterests.<\/p>\n
Part of the demand is the creation of an effective checks and
\nbalances system through a promulgation of laws on intelligence
\nand information acts, and the reopening or trial of past cases,
\nwhose masterminds have not been punished. The trials could start
\nwith prominent cases like the poisoning of rights activist Munir
\nand the kidnapping of activists in the late 1990s.<\/p>\n
Until these conditions have been met, the public should think
\ntwice before endorsing the government's plans to revive the
\nintelligence agency as the plan carries so many dangers. It may
\ndestroy a fair measure of the freedom we have achieved, and if
\nthis happens it will turn the clock back to the dark era of
\nSoeharto.<\/p>\n
The author is a staff writer at The Jakarta Post.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/reviving-regional-spy-network-is-a-dangerous-idea-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }