Indonesia and the threat of terrorism

Indonesia and the threat of terrorism

Jusuf Wanandi, Member, Board of Trustees, Centre for Strategic
and International Studies, Jakarta

Great anxiety and disbelief were expressed by the
international community when Indonesia's national agenda on
global terrorism was "hijacked" by a small group of Muslims.
Immediately following the terrorist attack on the United States
on Sept. 11, President Megawati Soekarnoputri made a clear and
principled statement condemning the act.

She was determined not to cancel her official visit to the
U.S. and became the first head of state to meet with President
George W. Bush after the attack. During the visit she reiterated
her abhorrence against the barbaric attack. In a joint
communique, she asked President Bush to give due attention to the
feelings of Muslims and to make use of the UN in the fight
against global terrorism.

However, Indonesia's policy soon appeared to shift towards
anti-Americanism, when the government did not react firmly
against the calls by the small group of radical Muslims for a
"sweeping" and expelling Americans as well as the breaking off of
diplomatic relations with the U.S.

The daily demonstrations for about three weeks in front of the
American Embassy in Jakarta gave the impression that the
government had lost control of the situation and allowed the
extremist groups to dictate Indonesia's policies on the fight
against global terrorism. The media, especially the international
media, exaggerated the situation, and the public statements by
then U.S. Ambassador Robert S. Gelbard did not help the situation
because they were considered arrogant.

Informed Indonesians and the international public opinion
alike wondered about the silence on the part of mainstream
Muslims. Perhaps they were invisible because their views were
largely ignored by the media. Also, the government did not appear
to consult with them. It was only at the end of October that
mainstream Muslim leaders, both from Nahdlatul Ulama and
Muhammadiyah, appeared to become more assertive in expressing
their views on the issue.. More balanced reactions and policies
emerged since then although the damage had been done.

The views of mainstream Muslims are that terrorism, as
propagated by Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda, cannot be condoned by
Muslims. The calls for "sweeping" against Americans and the
campaign for breaking relations with the U.S. are against
Indonesia's national interest. Muslim solidarity is to be
expressed in the form of humanitarian aid to the people of
Afghanistan. Jihad, by sending fighters to Afghanistan, is a
misguided act and the efforts and resources should be directed to
resolving Indonesia's own problems, namely to fighting poverty
that many Indonesian Muslims suffer from.

They also informed the public about the different nature of
Taliban's school of Islam that was unfamiliar to the public here.
However, they made it very clear that they could not accept the
bombings of Afghanistan because of the impact on innocent people
and because the rationale for doing so was not impeccable.

It was only after the strong reactions by mainstream Muslim
leaders that the government began to clamp down on the actions by
those small groups that are against the law and disturb public
order. The government stated its readiness to participate in
peacekeeping in Afghanistan as requested by the United Nations.
However, these new signals have been rather late to reverse
Indonesia's damaged image.

The lessons for the government are clear. It needs to be more
hands-on and be pro-active on the issue of terrorism. It also
needs to take greater initiatives in the regional context, in the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations or the wider East Asia.

This issue is urgent in ASEAN, given that this region has been
known to become host to local, regional and international
terrorist networks. Regional cooperation amongst the police, the
intelligence, and the Army chiefs of staff has to be
strengthened. This is the real meaning of our contribution to the
international coalition.

After all, each government has first to look after its own
threat of terrorism by undertaking public education and
information about the threat of local, regional and global
terrorism to the national interest, by freezing bank accounts of
terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda, to close down terrorist
training centers, and to give political support to the
international coalition against global terrorism.

Another important lesson from the experience over the last few
month is the need for mainstream Muslim leaders to take the lead
in guiding the Muslim communities in dealing with the issue of
terrorism. Beyond this, they have a critical role in showing to
the world that Islam in Indonesia is a religion of peace,
cooperation, openness and humanity.

In fact, there is a strong belief in many quarters within and
outside of the country that a modern, open, democratic and
economically viable Indonesia can become a model for other Muslim
countries. Indeed, Indonesia can become a model where Islam has
self-confidence and is on par with the West and other developed
nations.