'Terrorism fight in RI may hurt democracy'

Agencies, Jakarta

Indonesia's fight against terrorism after the Oct. 12 Bali bombing risks setting back efforts to promote democracy in the country, a report released by The International Crisis Group said on Friday.

The Brussels-based think-tank said foreign pressure on President Megawati Sukarnoputri to clamp down on terrorists suspected of carrying out the nightclub blast could strengthen the military's role in local security.

Indonesia's armed forces are blamed in Indonesia for widespread human rights abuses under Soeharto's 32-year military dictatorship and beyond. The military lost its internal security role after Soeharto's downfall in 1998.

However, in practice, the armed forces continue to wield great power within Indonesia, especially in provinces outside the main island of Java, due to a weak central government and inadequately staffed police force. In rebellious regions such as Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra, the military is fighting a war with the Acehnese, who want to separate from the republic.

"Efforts to clamp down on terrorists after the Bali blast - which killed more than 190 mainly Western tourists - could give the army an even more pivotal role in local security, dealing a blow to attempts to strengthen democratic institutions," the ICG report said as quoted by Dow Jones.

"Advocates of reform are worried that the post-Bali focus on security, by the Megawati administration and foreign governments alike, could divert attention from the urgent need to strengthen civilian institutions, reform the armed forces, fix the courts and end corruption," the report said.

Democracy activists are concerned a new antiterrorism regulation, which gave the government power to hold suspects without trial would allow the military to reassert itself in local security issues given the weakness of other Indonesian institutions, the ICG added.

"The new antiterrorism decree is not as draconian as originally feared, but it still could boost the army's role in internal security," the report said.

The Indonesian government issued last week government regulations in lieu of law on antiterrorism, which confer wider powers on the security forces, especially the police, to conduct investigations into alleged terrorists.

Terrorism is defined as any violent act that could create terror or insecurity among the public, violate the public's freedom, cause the death of other people or cause the destruction of vital or strategic objects.

Unlike the Criminal Code, the antiterrorism regulation allows intelligence reports to be used as a legal evidence. Based on prima facie evidence, suspected terrorists can be arrested for seven days and detained for a period of six months for questioning and prosecution.

Megawati's failure to show strong civilian leadership since the Bali attack - hamstrung by a divided Cabinet - also risks handing a larger role to the military, the report said.

Last August, ICG also issued a report on al-Qaeda network in Southeast Asia entitled "Al-Qaeda in Southeast Asia: The case of the "Ngruki Network" in Indonesia", in which the non-governmental organization linked al-Qaeda associate group Jamaah Islamiyah to the Indonesian military.