Civilians hold keys to fighting terrorism: Prabowo

Civilians hold keys to fighting terrorism: Prabowo

Civilian leaders now have to take charge in the fight against
terrorism, especially by providing clear-cut rules for security
forces to act against suspected terrorists, according to general
turned businessman Prabowo Subianto. Lt. Gen. Prabowo, once the
Indonesian military's rising star who was the commandant-general
of the Army's most fearsome crack force, the Special Forces
(Kopassus), gives a rare interview to The Jakarta Post's Edith
Hartanto about his view on terrorism threats in the country.
Below is the excerpt of the interview:

Question: Do you think that terrorism is a real threat and that it exists
in Indonesia?

Answer: Yes, it is a real threat in Indonesia. Terrorism will exist as
long as there are groups of people or elements of the nation who
want to force their political interests or goals on others. These
groups are usually the radical groups, extremists, fundamentalist
and separatists movements. Such groups have existed in Indonesia,
from time to time, in various forms, such as separatism in Papua
and Aceh. So, terrorist threats are clearly present here.

We all here have experienced the terrible effects of terror
such as when a spate of bombings took place throughout the
country that resulted in a number of victims. It created fear and
further distrust at the economic and political levels. Foreign
investors fled the country due to a lack of security. All these
have a great impact. I myself, as a businessman, also suffered
from the fragile security situation.

In every country which has political conflicts and extreme
groups who want to force their agendas, terrors will always
exist. Why? Because those groups are using terror as weapons.

Q: There have been some accusations that Indonesia is a sanctuary
for terrorists and that it has not done much to fight terrorism.
What do you think?

A: I don't agree that Indonesia is positioned like that, like we
are doing nothing. We are in a rough transition period towards a
democratic country. And during this transformation period, we are
hit by a prolonged crisis. Maybe the efforts are not well noticed
because of the complex situation here. Well, Indonesia no longer
has an Anti-Subversive Law, moreover an Internal Security Act
that gives the security authorities a free reign to take any
necessary action against suspected terrorists. We cannot just
arrest people without clear evidence as we could in the past.

So it is a real tough job for the law enforces, both police
and the military, to conduct their duties as their actions are
restricted by the law.

On the other side, some say that Indonesia is "doing nothing".
It's not fair. And we are put in a difficult situation. I also
don't agree if Indonesia is called as a sanctuary for terrorists
because they could have hidden somewhere else.

Q: The fact, however, is that Indonesia is now under the watchful
eye of the United States, which is demanding more concrete action
from Indonesia in relation to the war against terrorism?

A: Well, it is maybe more because the Americans feel that they
are now a target (of terrorists). The evidence shows that the
U.S. is not that interested in conflicts being waged by
terrorists in other parts of the world. Sri Lankans say, "we have
been attacked by Tamil Tigers for dozens of years" but nothing
has been done on that by the U.S. In Northern Ireland, the IRA
has been waging war for quite a long time, they are not being
condemned.

So all of these (anti-terrorism drives) are more because
America has been under attack. They are now angry and they have
to protect their national interests.

The U.S. has long been known to have a double standard for its
policy. For instance, then they had good military ties with
Indonesia, but because of human rights issues the ties broke. And
now with the wake of terrorism threats, they are trying to mend
ties again.

Q: What about extreme groups in Indonesia such as Laskar Jihad or
the Islamic Defenders Front which often conduct sweeping
operations? Are they not terrorizing other people?

A: In that matter, I think that the basic thing is that everybody
who is not in line with existing laws and regulations is breaking
the law, and therefore stern measures must be taken against such
lawbreakers. Actually it is the duty of the law enforcers to do
so. It's actually as simple as that. But yes, the law enforcers
have problems due to the lack of a legal basis in dealing with
such matters.

Q: In such a situation where terrorists do pose a threat, what do
you think that Indonesia needs to do now? Do we need a stronger
law to act against terror suspects such as an Internal Security
Act, although some say that it's considered a draconian law?

A: Well, I think the approach must be comprehensive. Civilian
leaders, politicians and legislators are the ones who hold the
keys on this. The initiative has to come from them. Why? Because
on one side, to restore order and maintain peace, weaponry and an
Internal Security Act are necessary, but they have to observe
human rights and democratization aspects attached to this matter.

Civilian leaders must think this through because the dilemma
is that this country is undergoing a democratic transition. And
the fact is that we need such a law which you call draconian for
national defense, but this kind of law will always draw criticism
in this era. I can tell that without a clear ruling, the officers
in the field will have problems maintaining national security.

A 1974 graduate of the Armed Forces Academy, Prabowo spent most
of his military career in field operations and in counter-
terrorism affairs within the Special Forces before rising to
command the elite force. He has had extensive antiterror
training, including from Germany's Grenzschutzgruppe 9 (GSG-9).