Separatist movements are main threat to RI, not terrorism

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesia's defense white paper puts terrorism behind separatism as the main security threat to the country, a policy that prompts the need of maintaining the military's territorial function, an official said.

Director-General for Strategic Defense Planning of the Ministry of Defense Maj. Gen. Sudrajat said that the territorial integrity of Indonesia found its relevance now that the general public was concerned about the existence of the unitary state of Indonesia, while terrorism remained the center of controversy in the country.

"There is misunderstanding among neighboring countries and the U.S. toward Indonesia's perception of threats. We perceive Indonesia's integrity as the primary concern, while other countries may presume terrorism is their main concern," Sudrajat told the general conference of the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP) here on Sunday.

Indonesia is currently launching a major offensive to quell the prolonged separatist movement in Aceh and has sent reinforcement troops to Papua to deal with the threat of separatism there.

The post-New Order administrations have granted the two provinces special autonomy status in order to appease the outcry for independence there.

Traditional threats, which may manifest themselves in the forms of invasion or aggression from other countries, look very unlikely to materialize for quite a long time in the future, Sudrajat said.

"Such threats won't come from our neighbors because according to our calculations, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines or even Australia are not in a position to invade Indonesia. The only country that can invade Indonesia is the United States, in the condition that we are proven to harbor terrorists," he said.

Separatism, he said, has emerged as the real threat, as well as cross-border crimes, sea piracy, hijacking, the problems experienced by migrant workers and drug trafficking.

"Eradicating these domestic issues requires the police and Indonesian Military to work together," said Sudrajat.

Sudrajat highlighted the necessity of maintaining the territorial function of the Indonesian Military (TNI) in order to keep soldiers close to society.

"The understanding that the military should be contained to military bases and barracks, for the time being, is not our paradigm. We can't treat Indonesian Military the same way as the western countries treat their soldiers. Here the military originated from the people, fought together with the people and for their interests," he said.

Rights and pro-democratic activists have been calling for an end to the military territorial function, on the ground that the role, inherited from the New Order, has justified its wide- ranging involvement in the sociopolitical field.