Internal Security Act

Internal Security Act

From Koran Tempo

After a bomb exploded at the JW Marriott Hotel in Kuningan, South Jakarta, Defense Minister Matori Abdul Djalil came up with the idea of enforcing something like Malaysia's and Singapore's Internal Security Act (ISA) to deal with terrorism and separatism in Indonesia.

This idea has received mixed responses from various groups in society. Those against this act argue that the current anti- terrorism act is sufficient to deal with terror in this country. The enforcement of ISA, they fear, will lead to a lot of human rights violations against civilians by the security agency.

These people have failed to see that many aspects related to terrorism, such as the political, social and economic aspects, are yet to be covered by the anti-terrorism act.

If only we had something like ISA, public security would be better, as problems related to bomb blasts in Indonesia could be better handled.

Unfortunately, human rights activists are concerned only with possible human rights violations and are therefore strongly against the idea of drafting ISA.

It must be understood that the anti-terrorism act was promulgated especially because of the bomb blast in Bali. So, it will be useful only for a short term.

To deal with other potential bomb cases, this country needs a national security act that will be useful for the long term and covers human rights, political, social and economic aspects.

More regulations could mean less space for terrorists to maneuver. In this way, terrorism and separatism can be eradicated from Indonesia once and for all.

It is worthwhile in this context to consider what our Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has said about Matori's idea. He said that the law that Matori had proposed would greatly differ from Malaysia's and Singapore's ISA. Our national security act, he said, would be adjusted to Indonesia's current and future conditions.

I believe most Indonesians will give their approval of the national security act as this could guarantee the sustainability of Indonesia's integrity and peaceful life now and in future.

JOKO S Jakarta