'Anti-terrorism drive threatens democracy'

Muhammad Nafik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The nation was told on Tuesday to be cautious of the course of the global fight against terrorism, which may jeopardize the development of Indonesia's infantile democracy.

Analysts warned that the anti-terrorism campaign could further harm democracy as Indonesia's civilian government has been weakened in running the crisis-battered country.

Currently, the development of democracy is languishing at present, with members of the political elite struggling for power ahead of the 2004 elections and ignoring the interests of people and the nation, they said.

Taufik Abdullah, a senior researcher with the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), told a seminar here that the government's moves to combat terrorism have begun threatening democracy.

"The violent removal of Abu Bakar Ba'asyir by police from hospital (in Central Java) yesterday is an example. Why did the security insist on taking the old man who was clearly sick?" he complained on Tuesday.

"The police should have negotiated with Ba'asyir's supporters to avoid violence. They stepped over the line in detaining him so violently," he told The Jakarta Post before addressing the seminar organized by the Habibie Center.

Ba'asyir, a detained cleric suspected of involvement in a string of bombings across the country, was removed from the Muhammadiyah hospital in the Central Java town of Surakarta for questioning in Jakarta. The move sparked a clash between around 150 of his supporters and police.

Last Friday, The International Crisis Group (ICG) released a report that warned Indonesia against sacrificing its fledgling democracy for the sake of the fight against terrorism, which has intensified following the Bali bombing on Oct. 12.

The Brussels-based think-tank said foreign pressure on President Megawati Soekarnoputri to clamp down on terrorists suspected of carrying out the nightclub blast could strengthen the military's role in local security.

However, Taufik and other critics also slammed Ba'asyir's supporters for their attempts to violently resist the police.

Another political analyst Indria Samego joined the criticism, saying the anti-terrorism operation was undermining the process of democracy in the country.

He argued that foreign pressure to crack down on terrorist suspects had robbed Indonesia of its "freedom" to promote its democracy.

Indria admitted that the current process of democracy had actually been hindered by the power struggle among politicians who have been berated for failing to heed public aspirations.

Former justice minister Muladi and another political observer Dewi Fortuna Anwar, both from the Habibie Center, shared a similar view and said a threat to democracy was imminent following the war on terrorism.

The society and the media must remain watchful to counter the worries, they said.

They said the investigations into terror attacks and their suspects, particularly Ba'asyir, should be made transparent to avoid possible manipulation by authorities or other parties.

"We should be cautious in dealing with terrorism because it could harm the democracy we are developing. Terrorists and Muslims should clearly be differentiated," Dewi told the Post.

She warned the nation of a military comeback in ruling the country amid the anti-terrorism drive if violence continued to rage on under the "weakened" civilian government.

"We however should support the fight against terrorism by empowering the state (under the civilian leadership) because otherwise the military rulers could make a comeback if conflicts cannot be put to an end," Dewi said.