Poor team work blamed for inability to stop attacks

Poor team work blamed for inability to stop attacks

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Defense and intelligence analysts are ruing poor team work among
intelligence units and unpopular government policies for a string
of terrorist attacks that have rocked the country over the last
three years.

Hari Prihartono, executive director of ProPatria, a think tank
on defense and security issues, says the repeated bomb attacks in
the country have a lot to do with the lack of coordination among
intelligence units following reforms in defense and security
fields.

"Intelligence units in the National Police, Indonesian
Military (TNI), National Intelligence Agency (BIN), Immigration
Directorate General, Attorney General's Office and home affairs
ministry have so far worked individually, so that they fail to
provide an early warning of possible terrorist attacks," Hari
said on Wednesday.

He asserted that Indonesia had been vulnerable to terrorist
attacks since the militaristic coordinating agency to support the
strengthening of national stability (Bakorstanas) was dissolved
in 2000 and BIN carried out internal reforms in 2002.

The government's decision to raise fuel prices, the high
unemployment rate and other policies that impoverish people may
have triggered the attacks, he said.

"We should not only blame the United States and its
international allies for the continuing bloodshed in Iraq, but
also look inward to ask if the bomb attacks were the result of
our failure to address domestic problems," he said.

Hari underlined that the nation could not depend solely on the
police to contain terror threats despite their legitimate power
to take care of domestic security.

Andi Widjayanto, defense analyst from the University of
Indonesia, said the National Police were unable to
forewarn the public about terror attacks as their intelligence
skills were inadequate.

"The collaboration of all intelligence units under the
coordination of BIN is an ideal force to effectively prevent or
at least minimize terror attacks," he said.

He underlined that intelligence operations to halt terrorism
were aimed at protecting, not abusing people.

"The public should not fall victim to intelligence activities.
Community and neighborhood units should be encouraged to support
counterterrorism efforts," he said.

Former BIN chief Gen. (ret.) A.M. Hendropriyono agreed that
the war on terror required the contribution of all relevant
institutions under the coordination of BIN.

"Under Presidential Instruction No. 5/2002, BIN is tasked with
coordinating all intelligence units to detect any threats to the
state," he said. "But this cannot work because the law does not
provide the intelligence apparatus with the much-needed freedom
to undertake their jobs in the field."

He said a law that entrusted BIN to conduct effective
intelligence operations was urgently needed to prevent more
terrorist attacks.

The House has refused to debate a bill on intelligence
proposed by BIN under Hendropriyono, due to concerns
it would lead to human rights abuses. The government is drafting
a new bill that is more "humane" as it proposes strict control by
the lawmakers and the public over all intelligence operations.