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.