Indonesia must act on terrorism: Now or never

Indonesia must act on terrorism: Now or never

Amien Rais, Chairman, People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), Jakarta

To many foreigners and Indonesians, Bali had always been their
favorite destination to visit. But then came Oct. 12.

The Bali attack was an outrage directed both at those from
Bali and abroad and generally at the Indonesian state. Words
cannot describe how grieved I was after visiting the site of the
bombing, the wounded in the hospital and witnessing the number of
bodies still waiting to be identified.

To those who lost their loved ones or were injured during this
barbaric attack, I extend to you my deepest sympathies. My heart
also goes out to the many volunteers I have seen working day and
night, hand in hand with doctors and forensic experts in managing
a crisis center for those who lost their friends and families.
May God Almighty bless them for their efforts and hard work.

As I told both Australian Prime Minister John Howard and
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer in Bali several days after the
attack, Indonesia welcomes all international forensic and
technical assistance to bring to justice those responsible for
this atrocity. We should not hesitate to bring to justice the
perpetrators of this violent act -- whom I regard as mass
murderers -- regardless of their religion, ideological background
and any mass support they may enjoy in this country or elsewhere.
But having said that, we must do this by adhering to democratic
principles and practices, and by respecting the universal values
of tolerance and the rule of law. It would be a fatal error to
believe that our nascent Indonesian democracy must be sacrificed
to restore order and good government. This would hand the
extremists a powerful weapon and potent argument in the struggle
for the allegiance of our people.

I am aware of concerns that, in the event of certain religious
leaders being detained or arrested for their alleged involvement
in the Bali bombing, there could be a violent backlash from
Indonesian Muslims. As a former leader of Muhammadiyah, the
nation's second largest Muslim organization and one of the
largest in the world, allow me to tell you this: Although
Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim country, Indonesian
Muslims are indeed moderate and among the most religiously
tolerant Muslims globally. The vast majority of my fellow
Indonesian Muslims demand, as I do, that the government resolve
this case as soon as possible. In this respect, I second the
statement of US Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz: "If
the bombing is found to be the work of Muslim extremists, it's
going to be the Muslims of Indonesia who in huge numbers are
going to be angriest". Let me assure you that Indonesian Muslims
are fully behind international efforts to uncover this despicable
act of terrorism.

The response to the threat to Indonesian democracy is first
and foremost the responsibility of the political leadership of
Indonesia and the Indonesian people. Sadly, the Bali bombing
showed that our leaders have been ineffective in their prime
responsibility of protecting the lives of Indonesian citizens and
those who visit our country. Although I stand firm behind my
President in her fight against terror, I rightfully quote an
influential foreign magazine which stated: "It should not have
taken a deadly inferno to demonstrate to President Megawati
Soekarnoputri's government that stronger action must be taken
against the extremists now operating nearly at will in
Indonesia".

The Bali incident has made us fully realize that there is no
safe haven from terrorism on this earth. Terrorism does not
acknowledge nor has any respect for religion, norms and values.
Terrorists will seek to maximize casualties whenever and wherever
they can. Suddenly many of us no longer feel safe even in
carrying out our day to day lives. Therefore, I plead that the
Indonesian government step up Indonesia's efforts to combat every
single terrorism cell that has penetrated this country, in a
swift and powerful manner.

We now need our best police and armed forces to operate under
democratic control to bring all terrorists operating in Indonesia
to swift justice. But while extremism can be combated in the
short term by force, the only long term solution is through
social, economic and political action to build a prosperous
economy and functioning democracy under the rule of law.

Indonesia has become the battleground on which two different
world views will now fight for supremacy. If peace, freedom,
democracy and prosperity are to defeat the forces of extremism in
Indonesia, then our friends will have to provide much more than
sympathetic words, and military equipment. It is time for
ruthless action against extremism, and ruthless action against
the root causes of corruption, economic oppression and inertia
that have allowed extremism to gain a foothold in our country.

Indonesia has now come to a point of no return. Our government
and all good Indonesians, who are the vast majority of our
people, must act decisively. It is now or never.

This article represents his personal views.