Coordinating Minister Urges Vigilance Against Digital Extremism Threatening Youth

Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs General (Ret.) Djamari Chaniago has urged the public to be vigilant against the threat of extremism leading to terrorism in the digital realm. He stated that the digital space, initially used positively, is now being misused for terrorist purposes, including the spread of propaganda, recruitment, and financing. “We need to be vigilant about how our society utilises the digital space as we understand it today,” Djamari said in Jakarta on Monday. “Through digital media, hoaxes, disinformation, slander, and hatred are spreading widely. Ultimately, very pessimistic ideas are spreading among young people,” he remarked. The structure of the terrorist threat has shifted from centralised to decentralised, manifesting in small, independently operating groups. This is reflected in the phenomenon of nihilistic violent extremism developing through digital communities. “Violence no longer stems from a single ideology, but from the glorification of violence itself, identity seeking, and psychological vulnerabilities that are exploited, particularly in children,” said Djamari. Indonesia is not immune to these challenges. The National Police’s Densus 88 Anti-terror unit recorded that 115 children across 21 provinces were exposed to violent online communities and 132 children in 26 provinces were exploited by terrorist networks in the first half of 2026. He therefore welcomed the strengthening of collaboration under Presidential Regulation No. 8 of 2026 concerning the National Action Plan for the Prevention and Countering of Violent Extremism Leading to Terrorism for 2026–2029. “It contains 111 actions across nine strategic themes involving 70 ministries, agencies, and stakeholders. These figures reflect a national commitment and a mandate that must be translated into real action on the ground,” he explained. He requested all ministry and agency leaders to align programmes and budgets to support terrorism prevention efforts, implement impactful RAN PE actions, and pay special attention to youth and children to support the achievement of Golden Indonesia 2045. He also called for the strengthening of regional government roles through the formulation and implementation of regional action plans. “I ask the Ministry of Home Affairs and BNPT to provide assistance, monitoring, and capacity building for regions to accelerate these efforts,” he said. Furthermore, the Coordinating Minister encouraged stronger synergy and multi-party collaboration as a shared responsibility of all national components in preventing terrorism domestically. These prevention efforts must be based on respect for human rights and the rule of law.