Terrorism looms large

Thursday's bomb attacks in Makassar are another reminder that the threat of terrorism still looms large in this country. The blast at McDonald's in the South Sulawesi capital also confirms our worse fear: Terrorists are unpredictable when it comes to the timing, venue and target of their attacks.

Our heart and sympathy are with the victims of the latest bomb attacks in this country. Three people were killed and 11 others injured on the very day that they and their relatives were supposed to rejoice and celebrate Idul Fitri, the end of the Ramadhan fasting month. Instead tragedy struck them.

If it is any consolation to them, they are not the only victims here. The bomb attacks in Makassar, coming so closely on the heels of the Oct. 12 bombings in Bali, have impacted the entire nation. They have instilled further fear in all of us.

Given that terrorists can attack at any time and anywhere, and with devastating consequences, no person can feel safe going about his or her daily business.

In October, it was a bar and a nightclub; on Thursday, it was a fast-food outlet; in 2000, it was churches; and still, in 2000, it was the Jakarta Stock Exchange building. In 2000, it was on Christmas Eve, on Thursday, they struck on Idul Fitri.

We can find some comfort that since the October Bali bomb attacks, the government of President Megawati has finally shown a stronger commitment to deal with the threat of terrorism. The political will, which had been missing until then, is there now.

The police, now much more empowered than before in tackling terrorism, have made some progress in their investigations, including the bombings in Bali and the 2000 Christmas bombings across the capital. Even the investigation of last week's Makassar bombings seemed to have made some inroads.

But they are not enough. Far from it.

Police may be better at investigating today, but their intelligence capability is still found wanting. They may be about to solve some of the terrorist attack cases, but they are still unable to anticipate, let alone defuse, future attacks.

The challenge for the police, and for the government's entire intelligence apparatus, is to eradicate the threat completely. It looks like a tall order, but that is what it takes to restore peace and tranquility to this country of ours.

For now, it is not so much a question of whether terrorists will attack again, but when, where and how devastating the next attack will be. There is not much comfort in that.