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 remain vigilant against the threat of extremism leading to terrorism in the digital sphere.
He said that digital spaces, initially used for positive purposes, are now being misused for terrorist aims such as spreading propaganda, recruitment and financing.
“We need to be vigilant about how our society makes use of 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. In the end, deeply pessimistic things spread among young people,” he added.
The structure of the terrorist threat has shifted from centralised to decentralised, operating in small groups acting independently. 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, the search for identity, and psychological vulnerabilities that are then exploited, particularly in children,” Minister Djamari said.
Indonesia is not exempt from these challenges. According to the National Police’s Densus 88 counter-terrorism unit, 115 children across 21 provinces were exposed to online violence communities and 132 children across 26 provinces were exploited by terrorist networks in the first half of 2026.
He therefore welcomed the strengthening of collaboration in implementing Presidential Regulation No. 8 of 2026 on the National Action Plan for the Prevention and Countering of Violent Extremism Leading to Terrorism 2026–2029.
“It contains 111 actions across nine strategic themes, involving 70 ministries and agencies as well as stakeholders. These figures reflect a national commitment as well as a mandate that must be translated into real action on the ground,” he explained.
He asked all ministry and agency leaders to align programmes and budgets to support terrorism prevention efforts, to implement RAN PE actions with tangible impact, and to pay special attention to youth and children in support of achieving Golden Indonesia 2045.
He also asked that the role of regional governments be strengthened in prevention efforts through the formulation and implementation of regional action plans. “I ask the Ministry of Home Affairs and the BNPT to provide guidance, monitoring and capacity-building for the regions to accelerate these efforts,” he said.
In addition, the Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs pushed for strengthened synergy and multi-stakeholder collaboration as a shared responsibility of all components of the nation in preventing terrorism at home. Such prevention efforts, he stressed, must be based on the principles of respect for human rights and the rule of law.