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| Southeast Asia |
| Cowardice only earns terrorists' contempt |
| 2005-10-06 |
| TERRORIST organisation Jemaah Islamiyah is banned by the UN, US, EU and Australia - but not by the Indonesians. Something is clearly wrong. The only place JI's terrorists have successfully carried out their murderous policies is within Indonesia. The biggest stumbling block for Indonesian leaders like President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono grappling with the group is its name. Jemaah Islamiyah translates as Islamic Community and its members want those in the broader Islamic community in the most populous Islamic nation in the world to believe that invocations to ban JI are directed at every Muslim. Given the difficulties of selling such a ban, it's pretty easy to understand why Indonesia's politicians baulk at such a prospect. But that will not stop the Australian Government or the Opposition from continuing to encourage and lobby the Indonesian Government to meet its international obligations and proscribe the terrorist organisation, a message Foreign Minister Alexander will reinforce when he visits Jakarta in the next few days. There are arguments against banning JI, and indeed any terrorist gang, and they generally come back to the lack of success governments had stamping out terrorist groups such as the IRA and the ANC, both of which were banned. Terrorists don't usually carry membership cards. Al Qaeda and JI don't go in for such formalities, which makes attempts to ban them much more difficult – but that should not be a reason to stand by idly and do nothing. Nor should it be a reason to do as the Indonesian Government is now doing in allowing JI leader Abu Bakar Bashir's sentence to be reduced along with those of some of his convicted militant supporters. The Indonesians ingenuously argue that they have been targeting individual terrorists – not organisations – but the arguments for proscription of these types of criminal network are compelling. Not only would banning the JI organisation send a very important symbolic message to its evil leaders, it would indicate to those who deal with the amorphous group that any engagement or association with JI would not be tolerated by the Indonesian authorities and would in fact be a criminal offence. International terrorism expert Rohan Gunatratna told me yesterday that the Indonesian Government, and those of its allies, should be looking at the bigger picture beyond Bali II, if they wish to prevent a Bali III, and a Bali IV. "What is important is to reduce the threat by developing a comprehensive counter-terrorism and counter-extremism strategy," he said. "It needs sustained action at an operational and organisational level. The Indonesians must target groups urging and waging jihad. "It must encourage moderate Islamic leaders to work against the radical groups." Dr Gunatratna said there were signs of increased co-operation between JI and other terrorist groups but a lack of willingness to act on the part of the Government. "There has been no significant shift in Indonesia's policy," he said. "There needs to be a greater emphasis on proactive targeting, more preventative laws, and detention of those involved in terrorist groups. Anyone who supports any of the terrorist groups must go to jail." Dr Gunatratna said there was an excellent level of co-operation between Indonesian and Australian police authorities but that both countries should invest more effort into ensuring Indonesia developed a political strategy that helped it develop a sound policy framework. "The US, Canada, the EU and Australia believe JI should be banned, Indonesia should be no different," he said. "Australia created a robust offshore policy after Bali I, the Indonesians should give their police the proper empowerment to operate against these people." It is not as if there are not anti-terrorist laws in force in Islamic nations for the Indonesian Government to follow. Pakistan has just sentenced four people to death and handed two others life terms for their role in a 2003 assassination attempt on President Pervez Musharraf. The Iraqi Parliament has voted to adopt sweeping anti-terror laws which stipulate the death penalty for eight different offences. If the Indonesians seriously want to maintain and grow their fragile democracy and retain the comparative prosperity they have enjoyed in recent times, they have to attack and smash JI with the same ruthlessness that the Coalition led by the US displayed in Afghanistan against the Taliban and is now showing in Iraq against al-Qaeda's forces. For make no mistake, as much as Western countries are the target of JI diatribes, Indonesia's leadership, its democratic system and entire way of life, is as much in the sights of these demented Islamist murderers. What Abu Bakar Bashir wants is exactly the same as Osama bin Laden wants and Mullah Omar wants and that is an Indonesia that is ruled by the mediaeval mumbo jumbo of shariah law and beset by the human rights abuses and outrages that were seen in Afghanistan under the Taliban. Its incumbent upon Dr Yudhoyono and his Government to do everything to ensure that doesn't happen. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #2 I wouldn't call the Philippines a regional power... Taiwan, China, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia aren't listed either.... OTOH The Phillippines does need to step up to the plate and clean up their mess -- with assistance from other nations (Australia, US) if need be. The Philippine government (Arroyo) isn't blameless. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2005-10-06 10:03 |
| #1 TERRORIST organisation Jemaah Islamiyah is banned by the UN, US, EU and Australia - but not by the Indonesians. Notice the Philippines is missing from the list. There's a pattern here. |
| Posted by: Elmealing Hupealet7382 2005-10-06 09:54 |