The Jakarta Post, March 28, 2007
Terrorists amongst us
The recent arrest of seven terror suspects and the fatal shooting of another in
Yogyakarta, Central Java and East Java have been reminders of the immediate danger
posed by terrorism.
Despite strong evidence that terrorists have been living among us and possibly
preparing fresh attacks, the public's response to this threat has barely changed.
The public's lack of awareness was obvious when neighbors reacted with shock to the
police anti-terror squad's recent raids. The neighbors had known these people as
good, perhaps even innocent, members of the community. Even in the Javanese
towns, known for their strong social cohesion, residents had no idea what their
neighbors were up to until police uncovered the weapons and explosives stashed in
their rented houses.
Militants plotted and assembled explosives right under our noses for the attacks on
Bali and Jakarta. We only realized who they were after the lives of innocents had been
taken by their acts of evil.
It took us over three years to finally get Azahari bin Husin, also known as the
Demolition Man. During that time he orchestrated four bomb attacks which earned
Indonesia an unenviable reputation as a hotbed of terrorism. We might have captured
him earlier than November 2005 -- and prevented all that carnage -- had the public
thrown its full weight behind the campaign against terrorism.
The fact that those die-hard terrorists managed to dupe neighbors with the
appearance of piety and generosity should not deter us from scrutinizing their
activities. But we may not bother to tell the neighborhood chief of regular nighttime
gatherings or to ask for people's ID cards, because we take it for granted that those in
our neighborhood are just ordinary people.
Following the Bali bombing in October 2002, Indonesia declared a war on terror,
involving not only the top level of government but also lower administrations down to
the neighborhood level. The public was called on to help prevent terror attacks by
being more vigilant. While this may have worked for a short time, it didn't last for long.
The terrorist threat has also been exacerbated by widespread public denial that
terrorists are really operating here in Indonesia.
Laypeople and politicians alike have continued to challenge security authorities'
evidence of terrorist activities. They say the fight against terrorism is a Western
sponsored campaign to weaken Muslims. Some of them have gone as far as
accusing western countries, and in particular the U.S., of masterminding the attacks
themselves. There is no proof to back this conspiracy theory.
Top anti-terror official Ansjaad Mbai has said this state of denial has been in part
caused by government officials, politicians and religious leaders who show public
sympathy for terror suspects, for instance by visiting them in prison. Such visits send
the wrong signal that Indonesia tolerates terrorism.
Public denials have also in turn prompted people to protect terror suspects, as was
evident in the bloody arrest of a group of men in February over violence in Central
Sulawesi.
A quick observation of airports, hotels, shopping malls and other public spaces shows
that our thinking about terrorism has not changed much, despite serial bombings.
Security is generally lax, as if the situation were normal.
It could be this complacency that has made us such easy prey for terrorist attacks.
The National Police, particularly the Anti-terror Detachment 88 squad, will not be able
to fight terrorism in this country on their own. There are only around 125,000 national
police, and those specializing in anti-terror skills only number in their hundreds. This
is not enough, even with military back-up, to properly crack down on terrorist cells.
Public participation therefore plays a pivotal role in the anti-terrorism drive. Recent and
ongoing raids on terror suspects show that terrorists have not given up their struggle,
despite their apparent dormancy. But if the nation acts together against the terrorists,
there will be no room for them here.
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