President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono stated last week that the Indonesian Military (TNI), deserve a place, if not special place, in the country’s fight against terrorism.
His statement sparked criticism from civil society groups, who fear the TNI’s return to politics. A strong voice against the TNI’s involvement focused on the absence of regulation, which could lead to abuse at the hands of the TNI. Other says that the President should give specific reasons for why the TNI needs to be part of the war on terror before he enacts such a policy.
Whether the TNI is made a part of counterterrorism efforts, the public will not soon forget the numerous horrible terrorist attacks on Indonesia.
The National Police (Polri) received a thumbs-up when they succeeded in uncovering the terrorist network that lead to the arrest of the perpetrators of the Bali bombings, the attacks on the Australian Embassy, the JW Marriot and Ritz Carlton hotel bombings and other terrorist attacks. Foreign assistance poured into the country to help build the country’s capability to fight terrorism. The police were the primary beneficiary of this assistance.
The President might have proposed the idea that the TNI be part of the national war against terror not because the police are incapable of fighting terrorism, nor because the TNI is superior, but because the most effective counterterrorism strategy would be achieved if the TNI and Polri built an alliance. However, it is imperative that such an alliance be regulated.
While the most important priority is for the alliance to prevent an act of terror, particularly through combined intelligence work, the alliance must also prepared to deal with any surprise attacks, because no amount of preventative action can ever be 100 percent guaranteed effective.
So, if SBY is really serious in inviting the TNI help fight the war against terror together with the police, then he should instruct the relevant agencies to craft out a TNI-Police capabilities program.
The program could cover agreed-upon plans as well as operational procedures. The aim of the program would be to ensure that the “alliance” can respond rapidly and effectively to the threat of terrorism. The chief of the Navy has publicly announced that the Indonesian Navy is ready to detect terrorist who might travel through our internal waters. It is undeniable that the TNI has great potential when it comes to fighting terrorism.
Not only that, the Air Force, Marines and the Army have their own special counterterrorist units, which would be of great help to the police. Counterterrorism could come to be seen as one area in which the TNI and the police are able to cooperate effectively, thus eradicating the widely held public opinion that the two forces are incapable of working together.
A future and sustained TNI-Police counterterrorism alliance is possible. The national strategy for the war on terror should be long lasting; the endurance of the TNI and Police will be put to the test.
But from the very beginning it should be clear that the TNI will never again be allowed to reenter politics.
The aim of the program would be to ensure that the “alliance” can respond rapidly and effectively to the threat of terrorism.
The writer is senior researcher at the Indonesian Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) and a lecturer of International Relations at the University of Indonesia.
