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Indonesia calls for new terror, tax fight
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Powerful men: French President Emmanuel Macron (left) stands next to US President Donald Trump (center) and Indonesia’s President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo during the first day of the G20 meeting in Hamburg, northern Germany, on Friday. Leaders of the world’s top economies will gather from July 7 to 8 for what could be the stormiest G20 summit in years, with disagreements ranging from wars and climate change to global trade. (AFP/Ludovic Marin)
Tax and terror, those were the main issues highlighted by Indonesia at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, on Friday, with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo calling for a new soft power strategy to fight terrorism and a hard power strategy to fight global tax fraud.
Despite experiencing a few hiccups on the way to the G20 summit venue due to massive demonstrations on Friday, Jokowi was given the opportunity to speak in front of the leaders of G20 member countries and used his time to encourage the world’s biggest economies to unite to maximize counterterrorism efforts.
He emphasized that a new balance is needed between soft power and hard power in the battle against terrorism, citing the success of Indonesia’s de-radicalization programs in discouraging former terrorists from committing further acts of radicalism-fueled carnage.
“History has taught us that weapons and military prowess cannot counter terrorism; Misguided thoughts can only be corrected with the right way of thinking. One soft power approach that needs to be pursued are de-radicalization programs,” he said during the summit’s Leader’s Retreat on fighting terrorism.
While Indonesia’s hallmark deradicalization program has garnered praise and interest among international peers, its implementation and effectiveness have recently been called into question following the involvement of a former terrorism convict in a bomb attack in a sub district of Bandung, West Java.
The program’s reach has also been challenged by the emergence of suspected “lone wolf” attacks that have targeted the National Police.
The House of Representatives and the government are now amending the 2003 Terrorism Law to strengthen the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) and incorporate clauses on de-radicalization.
