War against terror: Lessons for Indonesia

War against terror: Lessons for Indonesia

Bantarto Bandoro, Editor, 'The Indonesian Quarterly',
Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Jakarta,
bandoro@csis.or.id

The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States in which
thousands of innocent lives were lost has led Indonesia and other
members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to
join the American-led global war against international terrorism.

The war against terrorism will be a never ending battle as the
U.S. continues to seek stronger commitment from the countries in
the region, especially the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia,
of which the latter two are considered to be the operational
bases for Jemaah Islamiah, a radical Islamic group allegedly
linked to al-Qaeda attempting to carve out an Islamic state.

The government of Megawati Soekarnoputri has long denied the
presence of substantial terrorist networks in the archipelago --
but it has taken US$50 million from Washington to assist security
forces in the antiterrorist struggle.

Indonesia has been viewed as something of a laggard in this
global war, not only by the U.S., but also even by its friends in
the region, Malaysia and Singapore. Since Sept. 11 Indonesia has
always been on the U.S. international policy agenda, because it
allegedly is a haven for terrorist groups. Singapore has also
accused Indonesia of being a safe ground for nurturing terrorist
activities.

Either independently or within the context of ASEAN Indonesia
has now been integrated into an antiterrorist network. Washington
believes that Indonesia could play a crucial role in ensuring
that "militant Islam" does not spread and thus jeopardize
regional peace and security.

But the existence of Indonesia in such networking will not
automatically eliminate the already strong image held by certain
members of the international community that our country is
hospitable toward international terrorists. Counter-terrorism
experts have long insisted that Indonesia has served as both a
staging area and refuge for terrorists.

Indonesia's participation in the antiterrorist coalition still
has to be tested as the country continues to face difficulties in
arresting or detaining "radical" Indonesian Muslim leaders
accused by foreign countries as having al-Qaeda connections. The
government always feels it needs to convince foreign envoys of
its determination to fight terrorism. But Indonesia lacks the
capability to do so.

One of the effects of Sept. 11 is that Indonesia is
considering an antiterrorist law, among other things. The idea
that the law be introduced to curb terrorist activities has
caused strong opposition from certain sectors, arguing that the
law may be used to oppress certain groups in the country. Given
its controversy there are further doubts of when it will become
effective.

Many in the West have attempted to link the issue of terrorism
with democracy and Islam. International campaigns against global
terrorism serves as a kind of wake-up call for Indonesia to start
thinking of combining democracy and Islam. Perhaps, it is through
such a course that Indonesia will gain more sympathy from the
West, the U.S. in particular.

Indonesia is now embarking on a fragile experiment of
democracy. A successful management of the process by the present
and future government will make the country the third largest
democracy in the world and in the Muslim world. But if the
experiment fails, the country will definitely become a source of
gravity for possible extremist activities, thus guaranteeing
another big blow to Indonesia.

Despite appreciation from the U.S. of Indonesia's perceived
seriousness in fighting terrorism, we will still be closely
watched by the international community as to whether we will
fully respect human rights. This is the kind of issue often
linked to the role of the military. If the Indonesian Military
(TNI) is going to prevail over terrorism, they have to do it in a
way that respects human dignity.

The antiterrorist campaign has paved the way to normalizing
the two countries' military ties, cut three years ago because of
human rights abuses. It allows aid to flow again to the military.
It is not an exaggeration to say that the current antiterrorist
campaign makes TNI the victor.

The plan to resume the International Military Education and
Training (IMET) as well as the involvement of Indonesian officers
in a counter-terrorism fellowship program, provided by the U.S.,
will help the TNI to improve its capability or to improve its
military organization within a democratic system.

One cannot deny the importance of the military factor in
combating terrorism. The TNI must therefore be extra careful in
using its military assistance so as not to create the impression
that they are using the aid for other purposes other than
defending the nation against any possible external threats.

Critics say that providing the Indonesian Military with new
arsenals and other equipment is ineffective in curbing radical
groups, arguing that the U.S. should not commit violence against
such groups, to prevent resistance growing even stronger.

It is unlikely that U.S. troops will set their boots on
Indonesian soil as they did in the Philippines, but even without
this, the actions of so-called radical groups have already
generated fears. Indonesia therefore should not also ignore the
possibility of such groups serving as a kind of proxy of
international militant groups linked to the al-Qaeda network.
This is where Indonesia needs to have reliable intelligence
networking to detect the linkage and the capability to deal with
terrorist elements, and this can be accomplished only with the
cooperation of other countries.

The global war on terror will be a long lasting one and the
endurance of its strategy will be tested against the true
commitment of the participants in the war. The war on terror has
placed Indonesia on center stage in the international policy
agenda of the U.S.; and the country cannot avoid being cited as a
safe haven for terrorist activities unless it is willing to show
to the region at least that it is not all mere talk about
terrorism.

Although foreign minister Hassan Wirayuda has said that the
country has done quite a lot since Sept. 11, the question remains
as to how far Indonesia is willing to go in the war against
terror, and whether Indonesia will maintain its main defense that
some preachers merely sound "radical", and that they are not
terrorists.