S'pore stand on terrorism not just empty rhetoric<\/p>\n
Bantarto Bandoro, Editor, 'The Indonesian Quarterly',
\nCentre for Strategic International Studies, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Indonesian-Singaporean relations have not been particularly
\nwarm over the past year. Now, the two countries have again become
\ninvolved in a war of words following the remarks of the
\nSingaporean Senior Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, that his country
\nremained at risk from a terrorist attack because leaders of
\nregional extremist cells were still at large in Indonesia. This
\nwar of words comes at a time when the Southeast Asia countries
\nare set to join the global antiterrorist coalition.<\/p>\n
National Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief Lt.Gen. (ret) A.M.
\nHendropriyono stated before the House of Representative's foreign
\naffairs commission last week that \"if al-Qaeda is said to have
\nbranches or chapters in Indonesia, it is totally baseless. If
\nthere are people who have been contacted, that does not
\nnecessarily mean there is a network. But there are contact
\npersons (in Indonesia)\" (The Jakarta Post, Feb.21). But doesn't
\nHendropriyono ever think that the sustainability of terrorist
\nnetworks is attributed to, among other things, the clandestine
\nroles of such contact persons?<\/p>\n
The post-Sept. 11 period has led countries in this part of the
\nworld to be preoccupied by the issue of terrorism, and there has
\neven been strong calls for a regional coalition against
\nterrorism. The issue could become a cementing factor in regional
\nrelations within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, but
\nit could also be a factor that is likely to fracture bilateral
\nrelations. This is exactly what has happened to relations between
\nIndonesia and Singapore. Thus, bearing in mind ASEAN's
\nweaknesses, its new fight against terrorism will always be
\nconstrained by elements that derive from the member countries'
\nbilateral relations. Terrorism is indeed a real test for ASEAN
\nsolidarity.<\/p>\n
Lee's statement has sparked strong protests from the
\nIndonesian public and officials. Some say that Lee's statement
\nhas gone too far in that it constitutes intervention in our
\ndomestic affairs. Others demand that the government sever
\ndiplomatic relations with Singapore. Would one expect more
\nstable regional relations were these two countries detached
\ndiplomatically from each other only because of the issue of
\nterrorism? Or would Indonesia gain more economically were
\nSingapore no longer a part of Indonesia's regional policy? It is
\nperhaps very unrealistic to raise such an idea at a time when
\nboth countries are facing serious challenges from international
\nterrorist activities.<\/p>\n
While Singapore may be wrong to make remarks that touch on
\nIndonesia's notion of sovereignty, Indonesia should not be so
\ndefensive and emotional in reacting to Lee's remarks. Why should
\nIndonesia's reaction be so defensive when Indonesia has stated
\npublicly that it is also aware of the grave danger created by
\nterrorist activities? Lee's remarks must be seen as an attempt by
\nthe region's most senior statesmen to cultivate regional
\nsentiment about the need to treat terrorists indiscriminately.<\/p>\n
Being the most senior statesman in the region, one who has
\ngained worldwide recognition for his public statements, it is
\nbelieved that Lee has no intention of personally intervening in
\nIndonesia's domestic affairs and hurting those who claim to be
\npart of Indonesia's Muslim community. Lee's statement must be
\nseen from the perspective of Singapore's geopolitical position.
\nAs a tiny city state, Singapore has always been vulnerable to
\nmost types of threat coming both from inside and outside
\nSingapore, even non-conventional types of threat such as
\nterrorism.<\/p>\n
But one must not ignore the fact that, even as a tiny city,
\nSingapore has been able to demonstrate to the world its continued
\nsuccess in economic development and maintaining domestic
\nstability. Perhaps it is not wrong to say that against the
\nbackground of its success in economic development Singapore has
\nsuccessfully applied the most advanced technology in every field.
\nSingapore's belief that terrorist activities are being managed
\nfrom its immediate neighbor may be the result of the use of
\nadvanced technology to support its intelligence networking.<\/p>\n
Indonesia, on the other hand, has not been able to provide the
\npublic with an accurate analysis of the possible existence of
\nterrorist networks in the country, if such an analysis is indeed
\nneeded. It was reported that Hendropriyono once publicly admitted
\nthe possible existence of the al-Qaeda network in the country and
\neven suggested their involvement in the conflict in Poso. The
\nstatement was then withdrawn following strong criticism from
\ncertain interests in the country who claimed that the al-Qaeda
\nnetwork was irrelevant to the conflict in Poso.<\/p>\n
BIN's intelligence analyses often gives rise to confusion.
\nThis reflects not only a lack of coordination in the national
\nintelligence network, but also a lack of sophisticated
\ninformation technology that could be used for early and accurate
\ndetection. Thus, Lee's remarks on terrorism should not be seen as
\nprovocative, but rather as telling Indonesia to be more adaptive
\nto technology development so as to be able to identify accurately
\nwhatever is a source of terrorist threat. Or perhaps Indonesia
\nshould learn more from the way Singapore utilizes technology to
\nsupport intelligence networks.<\/p>\n
Lee's statement is a clear reflection of the concern that the
\nregion be freed from terrorist activities. There is, in fact,
\nnothing new in his statement, nothing that has not been said by
\nSingapore's Foreign Minister and other foreign leaders, namely
\nthat Indonesia may be a safe haven for terrorists. The professor
\nJuwono Sudarsono is absolutely correct when he pointed to the
\ninconsistencies in Indonesia's reaction to foreign critics of the
\ncountry's perceived tardiness in fighting terrorism (The Jakarta
\nPost, Feb. 25).<\/p>\n
The rift in Indonesian-Singaporean relations will certainly
\nhave a spillover effect on the stability of the ASEAN coalition
\nagainst terrorism. This is part of the complexity of ASEAN's
\nfight against terrorism and the pitfalls that lie before it. If
\nASEAN's strategy in combating terrorism is to be seen as
\nindiscriminate, then it is urgent for its members to work out
\nways that would remove the potential frictions that could hamper
\nthe execution of ASEAN policy against terrorism.<\/p>\n
Lee's statement on terrorism has at least provided an
\nadditional stimulus for the region in combating international
\nterrorism. The allegation by some Indonesian officials that
\nSingapore is a mouthpiece of the United States is a reflection of
\na hollow understanding of the regional political and security
\nconfiguration in the post-Sept. 11 environment.<\/p>\n
Unilateralism in fighting terrorism has now become a thing of
\nthe past. It is only through extensive contacts and coordination
\nthat the coalition can garner international support and thus
\nguarantees for its sustainability. Thus, there is nothing wrong
\nwith Singapore acting as a regional front-runner in the U.S.-led
\ncoalition against international terrorism, if that is what the
\ncurrent policy of Singapore in fighting terrorism is meant to be.<\/p>\n
ASEAN must appreciate Singapore's efforts in keeping the issue
\nof terrorism alive and intact as part of the regional agenda.
\nLee's statement on terrorism, after all, came from the most
\nuncorrupt and stable country in the region, and the country that
\nhas the smartest leadership. Indonesia, therefore, should not
\ntake Lee Kuan Yew as a joke. In Juwono's analysis, time will tell
\nwhether Lee's concerns were right and whether the Indonesian
\ngovernment's response was appropriate.<\/p>",
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