I

ndonesia’s commitment to the fight against terror is unquestionable, as evidenced in the endless crackdown on those behind bomb attacks or people who plot human carnage.

Due credit must be given to the police’s Detachment 88 counterterrorism squad, which has been stretched to the limit in bringing cold-blooded bombers to justice and foiling acts of terror.

However, with only about 400 personnel on hand, while the country’s terror network continues to grow new breeds and cells, there is a risk that the squad will lose steam in the fight that may last longer than we thought. Not only will national security be at stake but also civilization if the terror forces run rampant.

Ansyad Mbai, the National Antiterrorism Agency (BNPT) chief who also oversees Detachment 88, announced on Monday that the government was ready to involve the Indonesian Military (TNI) in sharing the burden.

Indonesia’s three military branches had developed their respective antiterrorism squads long before the US-trained Detachment 88. The Army has the Terror Handling Detachment (Dengultor) and Detachment 81 under the Army’s Special Forces. The Navy has the Jalamangkara Detachment and the Air Force has the Bravo Detachment.

The government’s antiterrorism commitment is undoubtedly serious. Still, the idea will bring some legal consequences and most importantly it will bring back bad memories, particularly in terms of human rights violations.

The government, in this case the country’s security authorities, may have sensed the growing threat of terrorism to national security in the form of radicals, as apparent in the recent explosions at an Islamic  boarding school in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara.

Furthermore, the TNI’s territorial command allows it to assign soldiers in every corner of the archipelago if danger is clear and present.

In reality, deploying TNI soldiers for non-combat operations is not as simple as Ansyad and we may have imagined — not because of its bureaucratic complicity but primarily due to the trauma of the past.

During the New Order, the military conducted both overt and covert operations to stamp out radical groups, but in many cases the operations were aimed at silencing the opposition and government critics. Indonesia endured decades of human rights infringement for the sake of political stability.

Bearing in mind the controversy that will flare up if the President endorses the TNI’s participation in terrorism eradication, newly installed Army chief Gen. Pramono Edhie Wibowo appears unenthusiastic in his response to the proposal.

It is crystal clear that the stigma leveled on the TNI is the biggest challenge facing the country if it is to involve the military in uprooting terrorism. The historical burden can be eased and overcome only if the TNI proves its commitment to accepting and protecting democracy by completing its residual reform agenda.

But in the meantime, the war on terror is already at our doorstep. All elements of the nation, the TNI included, must bear the responsibility of defending the country from terrorism threats. We cannot surrender the country to terrorists and their radical, zealous followers.