A

religious espirit de corps is among major hurdles slowing efforts to revise the law on terrorism, the establishment of special detention centers for terrorists and an antiterrorism agency.

These preventive measures — which were first demanded after the 2002 Bali bombing that left dozens of
people dead, most of them foreign tourists — have not yet materialized.

Antiterrorism measures have been largely dependent on campaigns by the police’s Detachment 88 Antiterror squad, often hours before terrorist attacks were launched.

A senior official at the office of the coordinating political, legal and security affairs minister recently expressed frustration with the law’s delayed revision.

He said most fellow bureaucrats believed terrorism in Indonesia was a product of a conspiracy designed by the West to counter the rise of Islam.

“Officials involved in the revision often see such efforts as intensified attempts to discredit Islam. This kind of mind-set, coupled with weak leadership, has held back all concerted efforts to introduce antiterrorism measures,” the source requesting anonymity said.

The head of the Antiterror Desk at the Office of the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister’s Office, Ansyaad Mbai, said while the international community sees terrorism here “as a grave concern ... most of us don’t see it that way.”

Antiterrorism efforts are still regulated under the 2003 Law on Terrorism, which focuses more on police crackdowns than prevention, despite eight major terrorist attacks which hit Indonesia after the 2002 Bali bombing, along with growing sectarian radicalism.

Revisions to the law have been planned since the attack on the Australian Embassy in Jakarta in September 2004.

Critics say the law lacks the legal infrastructure to bring to justice terrorist masterminds and financiers, as well as religious leaders for inciting hatred and violence.

Law enforcement officials have blamed the Justice and Human Rights Ministry for holding back on the preventive measures.

Aside from its main task of drafting all laws prior from they can be submitted to legislators, the ministry is also responsible for the management of Indonesia’s prisons.

On the revision to the antiterrorism law, Justice and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar said: “What’s the rush?”

The establishment of a specialized solitary confinement prison to limit communication between terrorists has also been put on the back burner.

Several terrorists now on the most-wanted fugitives list are recidivists who were previously incarcerated in the same detention center. Several of them made fresh recruits of other inmates.

Patrialis said that there was no immediate need for a specialized detention center for terrorist suspects and convicts as its benefits remained unclear.

“The prison is not likely to be constructed anytime soon. There should be a more concerted analysis of the pros and cons of such a prison,” he said.

As a former legislator for the Islam-based National Mandate Party (PAN), the minister was among legislators who in 2005 demanded that the police drop all charges against hard-line cleric Abu Jibril after a small explosion in front of his house in Pamulang, South Tangerang.

The device was similar to those used in sectarian conflicts in Poso, Central Sulawesi, between 1998 and 2000, police said.

The establishment of the Anti-Terrorism Agency has also been delayed since 2004 over concerns it would oppress not only Muslims but also pro-democracy and rights activists.

It was not until two months ago that a presidential decree establishing the agency was signed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

The agency is expected to not only spearhead the deradicalization of terrorism convicts and suspects, but also prevent radicalism from spreading, through concerted measures with the National Education Ministry, the Religious Affairs Ministry and the Social services Ministry.

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto said the agency would be running at full steam “sooner rather than later”, adding that officials were still seeking office space.

Djoko denied allegations that the government’s slow movement to develop preventive measures had stemmed from Yudhoyono’s fear of igniting resentment from Islamic parties in his coalition.

Aside from PAN, these parties include the Prosperous and Justice Party (PKS), the National Development Party (PPP) and the Nation’s Awakening Party (PKB).

They account for around 25 percent of seats in the House.