Will Indonesia toughen its anti-terror laws after deadly IS-linked attack?
Indonesian President Joko Widodo has called for revisions to the country鈥檚 anti-terrorism laws in the wake of last Thursday鈥檚 attack in Jakarta.
The assault, perpetrated by several men linked to Islamic State (IS), and more than 20 injured after several explosions and gun battles in the Indonesian capital. It was Jakarta鈥檚 first major terror attack since 2009 and the first blamed on IS. Still, some Indonesian lawmakers are reluctant to support Mr. Widodo鈥檚 proposed legislation.
鈥淚 think that discussions between the House leadership and the President don鈥檛 substantially represent the [opinion of the entire] House, especially without prior consultation with the relevant commissions,鈥� Mahfudz Siddiq, chairman of the House of Representatives鈥� Commission I for Defense, Foreign and Information Affairs, , adding that it is 鈥渢oo early to support鈥� Widodo鈥檚 plan.
Indonesia has been targeted by terrorists in the past: Islamist militant group Jemaah Islamiyah carried out聽 and still remains active in the country.聽
Widodo鈥檚 proposal for new regulations appears to be aimed at the hundreds of Indonesians believed to have traveled to join IS in the Middle East. Officials worry that many plan to or already have come back to Indonesia and could put their military training to use.聽
",鈥� Widodo said, according to Reuters. 鈥淢any people have left for Syria or returned.鈥�
Widodo鈥檚 proposals聽could grant Indonesia's national intelligence agency the power to detain suspects for up to two weeks and allow authorities to arrest citizens without hard evidence of links to criminal or terror activities. Another change would impact聽Indonesians' attempts to travel to join foreign jihadist groups and later come home. There is no law against their return at present.聽
Critics say these revisions could be hastily enacted in ways that infringe on civil liberties.聽Indonesia restored democracy in 1998 after decades of dictatorship which has left a legacy of distrust towards blanket powers for security forces.聽
"The concern is they want to ,鈥� Andreas Harsono, Indonesia Researcher for Human Rights Watch, told The Voice of America (VOA).聽
While Widodo does have some support within the legislature, the struggle over the anti-terror plan could lead him to issue a Perppu to cement the initiative into law. A Perppu, similar to an executive order, would give Widodo the power to introduce his revisions to the House and allow for only a yes or no vote from the lawmakers.
Without the Perppu though, it could be a while before Indonesian lawmakers discuss and potentially ratify the motion.
鈥淭he legislature has been notoriously slow and has a massive backlog on the issues it needs to deal with,鈥� said Monash University鈥檚 Global Terrorism Research Center Director Greg Barton via VOA.聽鈥淭he chances of quickly dealing with this issue are not good."
Some politicians, such as Mr. Siddiq, still hope that the resolution can reach the House as standard legislation.聽鈥淚 would suggest they do a comprehensive review of the situation - there鈥檚 no need to be reactive or divisive,鈥� he told the Jakarta Post.
