President Joko Widodo’s administration is considering the deployment of the TNI special forces to fight terror attacks. Experts say that the activities of terror cells across Indonesia are on the rise.
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President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s administration is considering the deployment of the Indonesian Military’s (TNI) special forces to fight terror attacks.
There has been a spate of terror attacks on churches and police offices recently. The first was the incident at the National Police Mobile Brigade headquarters’ (Mako Brimob) detention center in Depok, West Java, in which five police personnel lost their lives. This was followed by the suicide bombings in three churches in Surabaya and an attack at the Riau Police headquarters in Pekanbaru. Experts say that the activities of terror cells across Indonesia are on the rise. Acts of terror clearly violate human rights.
President Jokowi’s approval for the reactivation of TNI’s Joint Special Military Command (Koopsusgab) was conveyed by Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko, as quoted by Kompas on May 17. The Koopsusgab was first established on June 9, 2015, when Moeldoko was TNI commander.
As Moeldoko said, the TNI’s special forces would be involved in medium-to high-level terror threats. We see President Jokowi’s approval for the involvement of TNI special forces in fighting terrorism as the government’s anticipatory measure. This shows that the state strives to protect the people from all terror attacks and to prevent more victims.
The involvement of the TNI in terrorism mitigation is stipulated in Law No. 34/2014 on the TNI. Especially in Article 7 that cited fighting terrorism, among others, in military operations other than wars. The President is responsible for deploying military personnel. National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian and TNI commander Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto have spoken to discuss efforts to fight terrorism.
TNI involvement in counterterrorism requires clear rules. At what levels of threat can the military be involved? Such a political decision is in the hands of the President as the head of government, head of state and the military commander-in-chief.
We hope the national Police can soon unravel the terror networks in Indonesia and prevent further attacks from taking place. The law must be enforced on anyone involved in or planning terror attacks. Terrorism is a threat to humanity and to the existence of the nation state. Therefore, everyone must be involved and have the same level of commitment. The National Police, the TNI, the government – spanning from the central government down to community and neighborhood units – must be involved. Law enforcement alone will not be enough. Educators, religious leaders and mass organization leaders must also be involved.
We underline the statement of Greater Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) chairman Prabowo Subianto. “We need to stand united. We need to work together in fighting terrorism” (Kompas, 17/5/2018). Political parties must be equally committed to resolving the threats of terrorism that threatens the existence of the nation state. Such a counterterrorism ecosystem must be fostered.
It will be improper if political parties try to seek electoral gains by using the recent terror attacks to gain power. The lack of collective commitment among political parties to fight terror has led to Indonesia having an ecosystem conducive to the rise of terrorism.