An internal security law needed

An internal security law needed

The Constitution makes it clear that Indonesia is a state
based on the rule of law and not solely on individual power. It
is therefore natural that of late much criticism has been aimed
at the possible use of laws that are regarded as reflecting
little more than the use of pure power. For instance, there are
those who question the relevance of applying the existing
Subversion Law to resolve the "Black Saturday" riots of July 27.

In order to avoid recurrences of debates regarding the use of
the Subversion Law in the future, we would like to underline the
remarks made by the Armed Forces chief of sociopolitical affairs,
Lt. Gen. Syarwan Hamid, during a meeting with media chief editors
last Monday. Syarwan said that as the nation and the country face
the present developments -- most particularly those that are
related to the nation's security -- appeals and warnings alone
will not suffice. Rather, a clear-cut legal framework for action
is needed. In this context, he said, it is time for Indonesia to
have a law to protect its national security.

Aside from the question of content, the time for such a law
seems ripe for a number of reasons. One is that it would be clear
to every citizen what his or her rights and duties are as far as
the safekeeping of the nation's security is concerned. Also, the
officials in charge of safeguarding the national security would
have clear-cut and relevant guidelines to act on. They would also
be better placed to urge the public at large to cooperate in
protecting national interests.

Another reason is that such a law would protect the public
from national security being used by irresponsible persons to
intimidate or pressure people for purposes that actually have
nothing to do with the safety and the security of the nation. In
short, there appears to be a real urgency to pass such a law
based on the consideration that ours is a constitutional state
and that there is a need for us to anticipate all the
implications of globalization.

-- Suara Karya, Jakarta