Febriamy Hutapea – Several senior lawmakers on the House of Representatives' defense commission on Friday opposed the government's initial plan to draft laws similar to Malaysia's tough Internal Security Act, which allows the extended detention of terrorist suspects without trial.
Golkar legislator Slamet Effendy Yusuf said the law was not urgently needed and therefore amendments to the existing Antiterrorism Law were more than sufficient to combat terrorism.
Earlier this month, the House, also known as the DPR, and the government agreed to amend the current antiterrorism law to include regulations that could be used to better fight terrorism by focusing on prevention in the field.
The DPR considered the regulations important because they would elaborate on the rules of engagement for the military and police in countering terrorism.
Slamet said an amendment might give "more room" for intelligence agencies to prevent terrorist acts. But he said he hoped intelligence officials could work without violating human rights.
"The amendment should also cover human rights protection because it's important in a democratic country," he said.
Slamet acknowledged he was concerned there would be a public backlash against any attempt to adopt legislation similar to Malaysia's security act, just as many had opposed the state secrecy bill. The government this week asked the House to delay its state secrecy bill draft amid mounting pressure from activists, media and academics.
A senior government official previously said the country was too "soft" on terrorists and was pushing for a Malaysian-style antiterrorism law.
Some have deemed insufficient the police's power to detain a terrorist suspect for only seven days without charge. They say two years, as in Malaysia and Singapore, would be more appropriate.
However, Slamet said Indonesia didn't need to imitate other countries to fight terrorism. "We have our own way. It's proven through the police's track record of killing most wanted terrorist Noordin M Top," he said.
A senior politician of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Sabam Sirait, warned the next government and House not to rush legislation aimed at fighting terrorism. Sabam said he felt there were certain moves that could lead to suppressive measures in the near future.
"Whoever leads the government, I hope that he will not introduce the Malaysian or Singaporean-style internal security act," he said during a working meeting between the DPR commission I, which oversees defense, and Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono on Wednesday.
Applying such laws, Sabam said, would set back the country's efforts to end authoritarianism under the New Order regime and enter an era of reform.
Sabam said adoption of a Malaysia-style security act was far riskier than the state secrecy bill which had been withdrawn by the government.
The National Human Rights Commission has opposed the idea, saying that giving the police extra powers to detain terrorism suspects for two years without charge would be an abuse of human rights.