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View all search resultsTerrorism bill should be concerned with curbing radicalism among high-schoolers: Experts
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On guard: Members of the National Police’s Densus 88 counterterrorism squad escort security officials in possession of evidence from the residence of Tuah Febriwansyah, who is allegedly involved in the radical Islamic State (IS) movement, in Setu, South Tangerang, Banten, on March 22, 2015.
(Antara/Muhammad Iqbal)
E
xperts are calling on lawmakers to be more concerned with putting comprehensive efforts to curb the growth of radicalism among high school students into the terrorism bill they are debating.
Terrorism expert Ahmad Baedowi said on Wednesday the growth of radical and extreme ideologies was potentially higher among youngsters, particularly high school students who were more susceptible to violence at their age.
Therefore, the portion of prevention provisions in the draft revision of the 2003 Terrorism Law should be made bigger than the law enforcement portion as the former was more important, Ahmad added.
"The potential threats should be addressed carefully since the seeds of terrorism grow not only in Islamic schools but also in public schools," Ahmad said.
Ahmad's research on ex-militants in 2012 showed that 48.2 percent of terrorists were high school graduates, while those who graduated from pesantren and madrasah (Islamic schools) made up only 9.1 percent of the 110 respondents.
The research also found that 25 percent of approximately 600,000 students in numerous high schools in Jakarta and its surroundings in West Java, namely Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi, thought that Pancasila was no longer suitable to be the country's ideology, Ahmad said.
Thus in drafting prevention measures for the terrorism bill, the lawmakers should consider all stakeholders who could further strengthen the efforts, particularly from the government, Ahmad said.
Similarly, retired police general Anton Tabah said the prevention program should be made comprehensive, involving more related actors than only the National Police or the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT).
The police and the BNPT should work alongside the Culture and Education Ministry, the Religious Affairs Ministry and also the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) to draft a curriculum for both prevention and deradicalization programs, Anton said.
The member of the House's special committee for deliberations over the terrorism bill, Supiadin Aries Saputra, said the committee would consider all suggestions made by the experts during the hearing.
"We would further deliberate on how to cope with radicalism at the high school level," Supiadin said. "We can see the seeds of violence at schools. Thus, we should address it."
The lawmakers would summon the relevant ministries and stakeholders to deliberate the curriculum and the budget allocation for the programs, Supiadin said. (dan)
