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Jakarta needs overhaul in key locations
Overhauling city aviation and transportation security should be top priorities for Jakarta, an Australian national security expert said Monday
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verhauling city aviation and transportation security should be top priorities for Jakarta, an Australian national security expert said Monday.
The massive blaze at Pertamina’s fuel depot two weeks ago has raised questions about the security of other critical infrastructure in the country and the readiness of security agencies to respond to threats.
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s Dr. Carl Ungerer said a comprehensive review of security arrangements was required.
“That can only be done with a proper national risk assessment. The threat of terrorism is high in Indonesia, but so far, terrorist groups have preferred to go after ‘soft targets’,” Ungerer said.
“Transport and airline security should be top priorities.”
The fire at Pertamina’s Plumpang depot, resulting in one fatality and the loss of 3,000 kiloliters of premium fuel, caused production disruption and the risk of fuel shortages.
At this stage, no cause for the disaster has been released, although suggestions of a thwarted sabotage plan against the depot last year have been strongly denied by officials.
The city administration has confirmed squatters will be evicted from depot’s perimeter to create a “buffer zone” designed to improve security and access to the facility, as prior to the blaze squatters were living as close as 30 meters to some of the tanks.
Vice President Jusuf Kalla ordered that the perimeter of the depot be cleared of squatters.
“Both parties, the city adminis-tration and Pertamina, have a responsibility to provide the safe zone,” Kalla said.
Urban planning expert Surjono Herlambang told The Jakarta Post buffer zones of up to 200 meters are required.
While planning laws differ between jurisdictions in Australia, all require residential buffer zones of up to 500 meters in some areas around key sites such as oil refineries, with significant penalties for those who trespass.
“Critical infrastructure protection has been a high priority since 2001,” Ungerer said. “It is listed in the national counter-terrorism plan, and there are regular exercises conducted around Australia to prepare for and respond to an attack, either natural or man-made, on infrastructure.”
Official figures show that Australia has spent over US$1.2 billion (Rp 8.4 trillion) on aviation security since 2001, with a review of the air transport sector currently being completed.
In December, the Australian Government announced the appointment of a national security adviser reporting directly to the office of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in response to a national review of homeland security arrangements.
Despite recent changes however, Ungerer said, Australia faced many challenges in ensuring infrastructure security and the continuity of services, particularly as Australia did not have significant domestic oil reserves and faced extreme weather events like Indonesia.
“Refineries in Sydney and Melbourne have suffered from major industrial accidents in the past, and supply shortages have resulted,” he said.
“Currently, the heat wave in Victoria is causing power shortages and rationing as the electricity grid is damaged by the heat.”
Ungerer said that while Jakarta did not need to appoint a security adviser like Australia or create a homeland security agency like the United States, security arrangements could be improved through the cooperation of the different government bodies responsible for maintaining the security of key national sites.
“Given that the National Police is still finding its feet, I doubt another layer of bureaucracy would assist the Indonesian system,” he said.
“President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was a strong and effective coordinating minister under former president Megawati Soekarnoputri, which was probably more important for decision-making.
“Indonesia would be wise to develop a national counter-terrorism plan like Australia’s that sets out clearly the roles of responsibilities of each agency in the event of a terrorist attack or other incident.”
What is critical infrastructure?
Utilities — power, water and gas
Communication systems — including landlines, mobiles, broadband and wireless Internet technology
Transport — includes ports, airports, roads and public transportation infrastructure
Banking services
Healthcare
Natural resources and food supply
Military and government installations
Landmarks — monuments, stadiums, concert halls and places of worship
