Managing terrorism: An Indonesian perspective

Managing terrorism: An Indonesian perspective

Matori Abdul Djalil, Minister of Defense, Jakarta

We all share the conviction that terrorists and terrosim are a
threat to humanity and civilization. We also share the belief and
commitment that such evil acts by evil people should never be
condoned, let alone tolerated. It is our obligation and the
obligation of civilized nations to root out terrorists and
terrorism wherever they exist.

The Indonesian people and government strongly believe that
terrorism constitutes a serious threat to humankind. We, even
before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the U.S., also
experienced a number of terrorist acts in our country. In that
sense, Indonesia is also a victim, and is extremely aware of the
threat posed by terrorism, not only to the safety of our people,
but also to the very nature of Indonesia as a peaceful nation.

In our efforts to deal with the problem of terrorism, however,
we have to take into account the new global and domestic
political context. At the global level, the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks on the U.S., the subsequent American attacks on
Afghanistan and its war on global terrorism, have had a profound
impact on the relationship between Islam and the West. Islam is
now being focused upon more than ever before.

There is concern across the Muslim world that the American-led
war on terrorism will become a prelude to a worldwide assault on
Islam and the Muslim world itself. There is also deep concern
within the Islamic community that the West will use this
opportunity to subjugate the Muslim world, and force it to become
an appendix of Western civilization.

Such feeling, unfortunately, is also present among some
circles in Indonesia. It creates a very sensitive atmosphere in
the domestic context within which the war against terrorism has
to be primarily carried out. The sensitive nature of the problem
should also be understood in the context of democratization that
Indonesia began to embrace since the fall of Soeharto's New Order
regime. Our democracy is still young, and the transition process
itself has not always been easy.

We are well aware that whatever we do today should be done
cautiously so that it will not jeopardize the future of democracy
itself. We realize that it is extremely important that we balance
the need for security on the one hand and the imperative of
democracy on the other. In that context, combating terrorism only
constitutes one priority, at a time when maintaining territorial
integrity, recovering the economy, and resolving communal-ethnic
and religious-conflicts have to be given a higher priority in the
national agenda. Our ability to solve these problems, which have
dragged on for years, will have a direct impact not only on
public safety, but also on the survival of Indonesia as a nation-
state.

However, it should be noted that the higher priority that we
accord to the problems of territorial integrity, economic
recovery, and communal conflict does not mean that we have not
done anything to combat terrorism. For example, we are preparing
an anti-terrorism bill which hopefully will be completed and
submitted to the legislature by the end of June this year. We
have also taken, and will continue to take, necessary measures to
strengthen and improve the capacity to enforce the law and police
reform. The undergoing military reform will also contribute to
the strengthening of our capacity to deal with the threat of
terrorism.

It is fundamentally important to bear in mind that a law-based
approach and multilateral cooperation among nations to counter
terrorism are clearly a more preferred method. Especially in the
Indonesian situation, addressing the problem of terrorism should
be carried out in the setting of law enforcement.

Indonesia's approach in dealing with the problem should be
understood within that context. We believe that the process
should evolve at its own pace, and the approach to combating
terrorism cannot be imposed unilaterally by external power. What
is important in this regard is we should all work together, with
mutual help and mutual respect.

Indeed, the changing nature of terrorism makes it insufficient
to leave the problem only to the police. The military can, and
should, play a positive role.

This has become clearer because states are now faced with the
problem of terrorist activities equipped with weapons of mass
destruction such as chemical and biological weapons. The
asymmetric threat posed by the terrorist, and its transnational
nature, has also changed the way many countries plan their
national defense strategy. The ability of states to safeguard
their borders, which in the Indonesian case requires a capable
naval force, becomes an essential element in combating terrorism.

What can we do together, at a global, regional and national
level, to address the issue and its attendant problems?

At the global level, the Sept. 11 attacks have unfortunately
created worrying developments in the relationship between Islam
and the West. The absence of mutual understanding between the
Islamic civilization and Western civilization has caused much
worry.

We are deeply aware that dialog is only one step toward
charting a new relationship between Islam and the West
characterized by mutual understanding and mutual respect. There
is also the need to widen the space for mutual cooperation in
order to create a new world in which Islam and the West can be
locked in a cooperative and constructive engagement that should
be aimed at improving the social and economic life of many
impoverished citizens.

Terrorism is a global problem that requires a global solution.
The attack on the WTC should not be regarded solely as attacks on
the U.S. These were the calculated terrorist attacks against
humanity. It is an attack against reason, freedom and humanity,
and should be seen as an attack against the world community.

At the regional level, we in the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN) have also stepped up our cooperation in the
area of combating terrorism. Indonesia has been actively involved
in such regional undertakings. In February 2002, for example,
Indonesia signed an agreement with Australia on combating
terrorism. Indonesia has also developed concrete ways to combat
terrorism with Malaysia and the Philippines; an initiative that
moves beyond traditional intelligence-sharing.

Regional cooperation should also include developing technical
skills in the financial sector, particularly financial control
mechanisms. Most international terrorism is supported by
financial resources that come from illegal businesses such as
money laundering and drug-trafficking. In developing countries,
the control mechanism and law governing money transfer and law
enforcement remain very weak. Regional and international
cooperation, therefore, should also include law enforcement such
as cooperation in efforts to freeze terrorists' financial
sources, to track down their weapons, arms supplies and networks.

It is also important to acknowledge the national limits that
each country might experience, both in terms of expertise and
resources. It is in this area that many of us expect support from
the international community.

The article is based on a speech delivered before the Asian
Security conference in Singapore on June 1. The event was
organized by the London-based International Institute of
Strategic Studies (IISS).