Despite last week’s anti-Ahok rally, which turned violent in the capital, Vice President Jusuf Kalla maintained that the country’s religious tolerance was the most effective tool in the fight against the growing threat of religion-inspired radicalism.

Kalla told participants of the 85th International Police (Interpol) General Assembly in Bali on Monday that in addition to a legal instrument that Interpol member countries would establish during the four-day meeting to combat terrorism, Indonesia could share its experience in promoting religious tolerance.

He said that Indonesia had a Muslim-majority population that subscribed to democratic principles and espoused religious tolerance, a statement that now rings hollow especially following the massive street protest last Friday involving more than 100,000 hard-line Muslims who demanded the prosecution of Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, a Christian of Chinese descent, for alleged blasphemy.

“I emphasize that terrorism is a global challenge and it takes both soft and hard powers to address it. Indonesia is ready to contribute to the cause in the field of tolerance,” said Kalla in his opening remarks before police chiefs and delegations of around 167 Interpol member countries attending the general assembly in Bali.

Kalla said that for its proposal for the counterterrorism agenda, Indonesia encouraged Interpol member countries to step up efforts against global cybercrimes.

Kalla also said that Indonesia would push for intelligence reform in Interpol in order to ease the exchange of information on transnational crimes and terrorism and other global threats.

“The National Police have been given plaudits for their work on counterterrorism, but we still have things to improve in that field,” Kalla said, adding that the advance in technology had, unfortunately, allowed radicalism to grow as members of radical groups could study bomb-making techniques and spread violent ideas through the internet.

“The existence of IS [Islamic State]-linked groups in Indonesia is proof that Indonesia is not immune to radicalism,” Kalla said.

Indonesian National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian said mutual legal assistance and joint cooperation among Interpol members were key to combating terrorism.

“Thousands of people have joined IS in Iraq and Syria. We need to focus more on prevention and employing severe measures to combat terrorism,” Tito said.

Interpol secretary-general Jürgen Stock said foreign fighters in conflict zones were now more connected than ever with radical groups and followers in their home countries amid technological advances, adding that most of their communications were encrypted.

Stock further said that Interpol member countries would work on a scheme under which member countries would exchange real time information on the movement of foreign terrorist fighters around the globe.

The scheme would allow member countries to quickly inform one another should they detect information on the movements of the fighters hailing from over 100 countries.

“They [foreign terrorist fighters] are well trained in conflict zones, which makes them more radicalized. This is posing a threat and it requires strong cooperation among law enforcement agencies globally,” Stock said.

“This meeting in Bali is important to discuss the level of information exchange. The level of real time information exchange. How can we get the relevant information to protect our society from this threat? This is in the middle of the agenda at the general assembly,” Stock said.

Interpol president Mireille Ballestrazzi said the organization was ready to deal with the challenges currently being faced by global communities.

“Interpol’s strategies to counter terrorism, organized and emerging crime and cybercrime, which will be presented during this conference, will provide crucial support in our united response to these global threats. However, to transform these plans from words into action requires full cooperation from all member countries,” said Ballestrazzi.

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