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New antiterror policy sparks fears of witch hunt
No clear definition on extremism targeted in presidential regulation
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he government has issued a presidential regulation that will enable people to watch and report individuals and acts of violent extremism and terrorism in their neighborhoods, a move that rights activists have cautioned could lead to wrongful arrests and division among the public.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo signed on Jan. 6 Presidential Regulation No. 7/2021 on a national action plan containing strategies to mitigate violent extremism that could lead to terrorism.
According to a copy obtained by The Jakarta Post, the regulation provides broad guidelines for government institutions to run the action plan with the people, including a plan to train residents under a community policing program.
“Participants of the community policing training program will support violent extremism and terrorism prevention efforts,” the regulation said.
The National Police and the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) will be in charge of the training program and raising public awareness on acts of violent extremism and terrorism.
With the country having suffered from various acts of terrorism for decades, the government under President Jokowi has improved Indonesia’s counterterrorism efforts, including by making revisions to the Terrorism Law that extend the detention period for suspects and expands the Indonesian Military’s (TNI) involvement in counterterrorism operations.
Jokowi’s administration has also banned two hard-line groups that are believed to have conducted activities that go against state ideology Pancasila and the principle of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI)
In 2017, the government disbanded Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) by revoking its status as a legal entity. Some HTI members tried to challenge the move by filing a petition at the Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN Jakarta). PTUN Jakarta judges later rejected HTI’’s petition and upheld the government’s ban on the group.
In December, the government officially banned the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) and all its activities and symbols, saying the controversial group had no legal standing as an organization as it had failed to renew its registration with the Home Ministry and had engaged in vigilantism.
The government has taken stern action against the group since the return of its leader, Rizieq Shihab, who had been out of the country for three years to allegedly evade a string of legal cases.
The police have named Rizieq a suspect for causing large crowds, which is not allowed during the pandemic.
A clash between the police and FPI members in Kerawang, West Java, late last year claimed the lives of six members of the group. A National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) investigation found that two of the victims were killed during a shootout with officers, but the other four were found dead while still in police custody, an indication of a human rights violation.
Community policing is not new in the country. The practice has been allowed under Article 1(2) of National Police Chief Regulation No. 3/2015, which established the legal basis of community policing.
The presidential regulation directs community policing in efforts to counter extremism.
Rights group Setara Institute deputy director Bonar Tigor Naipospos said the government had previously tried to involve citizens in intolerance and extremism mitigation, namely through the Interfaith Communication Forum (FKUB), the Early Awareness Society Forum (FKDM) and Counterterrorism Coordination Forum (FKPT).
He added that it was premature to involve regular people in the community policing of extremism and pointed out that the presidential regulation had not provided a clear definition of extremism, making it open to interpretation.
Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS) activist Rivan Lee Ananda said community policing on extremist groups was already being practiced in Poso, Central Sulawesi, which was notorious for having a history of sectarian violence.
He said that while community policing could help the police, it could also potentially be used to target certain individuals or groups that might not be related to terrorism.
Amnesty International Indonesia executive director Usman Hamid said the community policing program was yet another example of Jokowi’s repressive policies.
