Ba'asyir's guilt is proved

Ba'asyir's guilt is proved

The sentence handed down to Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar
Ba'asyir is much lighter than the eight years sought by
prosecutors...However, he was deemed to have encouraged them to
launch the strike and had engaged in a 'sinister conspiracy'.

The judgment will not satisfy those who were hoping that the
sentence would send a clear message to would-be attackers on
Indonesia's implacable opposition to terrorism. However, an
important point was made by the court acknowledging that Ba'asyir
led the Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist network.

Thoughtful observers never had such illusions, but these
fantasies might have had some lure for ordinary Indonesians
caught in the political cross-fire between extremists and
moderates. Now, it is clear that JI exists, that it is engaged in
terrorism, and that Ba'asyir is its leader. The image of a frail
religious teacher hounded by the state is a fantasy that the
court's judgment has destroyed.

It is natural for other countries with a stake in Indonesia's
stability to take an interest in how events unfold there.
Indonesians should not see this interest as unwarranted
intervention in their domestic affairs. The primary beneficiaries
of security will be Indonesians themselves.

-- The Straits Times, Singapore