War on terror goes public

War on terror goes public

Although more than a year late, the government must be
commended for embarking on a new approach to dealing with the
threat of terrorism: making the campaign public.

On Monday, 11 senior officials, led by Coordinating Minister
for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono,
briefed media leaders about the government's seriousness in
dealing with terrorism. A similar briefing was held on Tuesday
for religious leaders.

The reason for choosing these two groups is clear. They are
public opinion makers who can help turn round the existing
negative image of the government. It must be admitted that the
official campaign against terror has lately been at the wrong end
of poor publicity, with criticism coming from all sides.

Abroad, Indonesia has earned a reputation as a safe haven for
terrorists because of its reluctance to crack down on radical
groups. At home, the government has been accused by some as
giving in too easily to international pressure. In short, the
government is constantly under attack whatever it does, or does
not do. Such negative publicity hardly bodes well for the
government's commitment to stop, contain and fight terrorism.

The government must take the lion's share of the blame for the
bad publicity. The campaign against terrorism has been waged in
virtual secrecy, restricted largely to intelligence operations.

The public has been left virtually in the dark about what
steps the government has been taking. When some of these became
public knowledge, they were greeted with skepticism.

Only now has the public learned that two men suspected of
having links with international terrorism have been handed over
to the U.S. authorities. A third suspect is in police custody.
And, as the official briefing on Monday revealed, the police have
in their possession a collection of videos of young men taking
part in military training in a remote jungle in Indonesia. Police
say they are investigating the possibility of that camp being
used for the training of young terrorists.

What is worrying about all these findings is the presence of
foreigners, enough to suggest what many have feared all along,
but what politicians have repeatedly denied: that Indonesia is
not necessarily free from the presence of international
terrorists. And, given that Indonesia has been at the wrong end
of terrorist attacks, albeit from home-grown groups, it would be
wrong for politicians, as some do, to dismiss lightly the threats
of terrorism.

It is therefore highly encouraging that the government has now
decided to go public with its campaign. At least it is sending
the message to the public that terrorism is a clear and present
danger in this country, and that the government, even with all
the legal constraints it faces, is actually doing something.

The campaign against terror stands a greater chance of
succeeding if it has the full support of the public, something
that seems to be sorely lacking at the moment, judging by public
attitude, or rather apathy, toward the terrorism issue.

Going public prepares the people better in the event that the
government is forced to take drastic steps if Indonesia comes
under a serious terrorist threat. In fact, in this kind of war,
public support would count for much more than all the legal
instruments the government could ask for.

There is obviously a risk in making public a politically
sensitive campaign like this. The government has repeatedly
stressed that it is constrained in what it is able to do,
compared with what the Singapore and Malaysian governments have
done. Indonesia still does not have a law to deal with terrorism,
and the government does not have the power to arrest people
indefinitely, simply on the basis of suspicion or allegations.

Greater transparency might also expose weaknesses or
shortcomings that might backfire on the campaign and leave the
government the target of even more barbed criticism. It might
even compromise ongoing intelligence operations.

But that is a risk worth taking, especially now that it is
apparent that the previous softly-softly approach was not
working, and was giving the government a negative press.

Taking the campaign public, in itself, will not be enough to
ensure widespread support from the population. The government
still needs to communicate effectively with the public about the
objectives of the campaign, and the steps being taken to achieve
them.

The record of President Megawati's administration in
communicating its policies to the public may be appalling, but
going public with the campaign on terror is a step in the right
direction.