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.