Govt told to consult Muslim figures to avoid backlash

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

In the wake of the United Nations' decision to put Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) on its terrorist blacklist, the government needs to take an immediate approach to quell concerns in the Muslim community in order to curb a potential backlash, an observer said.

Noted scholar Juwono Sudarsono said on Sunday that as a member of the UN, Indonesia had to comply with the decision, but as the world's most populous Muslim country, it should act in a transparent way.

"The government has to explain to Muslim groups whether there are any Indonesian citizens linked to JI, while at the same time it should thoroughly investigate the possibility of the group's presence here," Juwono told The Jakarta Post.

The next step Indonesia has to take is to assign the central bank and the Ministry of Finance with tracing all accounts suspected of having a connection with the organization, Juwono added.

He underlined that the government had failed to provide a clear explanation for the reason behind its support to include JI on the UN's terrorist list and that this could provoke a backlash from Muslims here.

"However, we have to comply with the UN's policy, otherwise the rest of the world will think we are not serious in combating terrorism," said the former defense minister, who served during the administration of Abdurrahman Wahid.

The UN Security Council placed JI on Friday on a sanctions list for having links to al-Qaeda.

Any person or group on the list is subject to international sanctions. All UN member nations are required to freeze their assets, prevent their movements and block any attempts to sell or transfer arms to them.

Muslim moderates and hard-liners in Indonesia reacted negatively to the inclusion of JI on the list of terrorist groups, saying that they were afraid it would justify a crackdown on certain Muslim groups known for their opposition to the government.

Some of these groups have planned to rally at the House of Representatives to voice their concern over the issue.

While maintaining cautiousness, the chairman of the United Development Party of Reform, Zainuddin MZ, said the government could go ahead with an investigation into JI's link to certain Muslim groups in the country as long as it obtained solid evidence.

"It is okay to investigate these organizations, but please provide proof if they were involved in terrorist acts," he said.

Some of Indonesia's neighboring countries have accused the organization, led by cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, of being a terrorist group. Singapore and Malaysia arrested JI members in their respective countries after finding evidence of the group's plan to attack U.S. interests in the region and to establish a pan-Islamic state in Southeast Asia.

JI is said to be linked with al-Qaeda, which is accused of masterminding the Sept. 11 attack on the United States last year.

Only after a huge bomb rocked Bali two weeks ago did Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono admit publicly that Indonesian citizens -- the late Abdullah Sungkar, Ba'asyir and Hambali -- led the organization.

Minister of Defense Matori Abdul Djalil has not ruled out the possibility of JI's role in the bombing, which killed nearly 200, mostly foreigners.

Despite support to name JI a terrorist group, Jakarta has insisted that the organization is not operating in the country.

Ailing Ba'asyir is being detained by police. Police have charged him with having a role in a series of bombings in the country in 2000 and a plot to assassinate Megawati Soekarnoputri before she assumed power in July last year.

Juwono underlined that following the UN decision, the government should clearly explain each step it takes against JI to avoid a negative reaction from Muslims.

Meanwhile, the Australian government followed in the footsteps of other countries on Sunday and listed JI as a terrorist group under Australian law, Attorney General Daryl Williams said.

"Members of Jemaah Islamiyah are now on notice that they are committing a serious criminal offense, and that they face prosecution and significant penalties," Williams said in a statement quoted by AP.

Listing a group as a terrorist allows the government to more rapidly prosecute members or supporters under tough new laws created after Sept. 11, which carry prison terms of up to 25 years.

Australia and the United States campaigned for the UN listing last week. Canberra made the formal request on Wednesday because Australian law prohibits the government from declaring a group a terrorist organization unless it is listed by the United Nations.