Opposition grows to government-proposed draconian security law
Opposition grows to government-proposed draconian security law
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Analysts, politicians and top government officials have joined
the chorus of opposition on Tuesday to reject the proposed
adoption of the draconian Internal Security Act (ISA) as a
measure to preempt terrorist attacks.
Kusnanto Anggoro, a political analyst with the Centre for
Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said the adoption of
a draconian Singaporean- or Malaysian-style ISA was not the right
way to wipe out terrorism in the country.
"I think the problem is not whether we have an ISA or not, but
the fact that we don't have a comprehensive counterterrorism
policy," he said on the sidelines of a seminar on human rights
protection.
He cited the lack of coordination among state agencies as
constituting the main shortcoming in the fight against terrorism.
"Strengthening the cooperation between the Indonesian Military
and the National Police is more important than the enactment of
an ISA," he said.
Analyst Ichlasul Amal from state-run Gadjah Mada University in
Yogyakarta concurred with Kusnanto, saying the enactment of an
ISA would not help much in the fight against terrorism.
"There is no guarantee that the adoption of an ISA will
eliminate the terror threat," he said.
He expressed his deep concern that the adoption of an ISA
would instead lead to human rights violations.
The best possible way to anticipate and prevent terrorist
attacks was improved intelligence and the drawing up of policies
that would deter the emergence of militant groups, he said.
"Militant and extreme groups should be given a greater say in
the country's political system," he said.
Last week, Minister of Defense Matori Abdul Djalil floated the
idea to adopt an ISA to combat the intensifying terror attacks,
following the devastating bombing at the JW Marriott Hotel in
Jakarta, which killed at least 12 people and injured 147 others.
Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen.
Endriartono Sutarto lent their support to the controversial
proposal.
Chairman Roy B.B. Janis of the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) faction at the House of Representatives
underlined that there was no need to produce another
antiterrorism regulation.
"We don't need a new regulation; optimize the implementation
of the existing law," he said after a party meeting here.
He also cited the lack of coordination among security agencies
as one of the major factors that have contributed to the increase
in terrorist attacks.
"What they need to do is to beef up coordination and rigidly
enforce the Antiterrorism Law, which we believe is enough to
facilitate preventive measures against terrorism," Roy said.
Although the government has not yet announced its official
stance on the issue, Vice President Hamzah Haz shared Roy's view,
saying that it would be better for the government to maximize the
implementation of the existing regulation and mend its
shortcomings.
"If there are still weaknesses, then we can think about other
options, such as the adoption of an ISA," Hamzah told reporters.
He said the option to adopt an ISA should be studied
thoroughly, as the drafting of a new law might not immediately
solve the problem.
Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra also
expressed his personal objection to the idea, saying that
enacting the draconian law could mean that the government was
going too far.
"I suggest that the government should, if needed, 'improve'
the Antiterrorism Law instead of adopting an ISA. As far as I
know, Minister Susilo was the champion of the idea in the recent
informal talks among government officials," he said.
Yusril did not spell out what he meant by improving the
Antiterrorism Law. However, he admitted that an ISA was indeed
too much and, if enacted, could spark further controversies among
the people.
The Cabinet is expected to hold a meeting on Thursday to
discuss the issue, after which it will make public the
government's official stance on the much-criticized ISA.