Farouk Arnaz, Jakarta – A presidential decree to establish a counterterrorism agency could do more harm than good, human rights group Imparsial warned on Monday.
The group – which claims to have obtained a copy of the "Presidential Decree on the National Counterterrorism Board," signed on July 16, from an unofficial source – raised concerns about the "vague" provisions within the decree.
"This new decree is a blank check for the board to do whatever it likes and get away with it," said Imparsial research coordinator Al Araf.
"We're concerned, in particular, about a clause granting the board the power to repress. Our question is, who has the right to repress? The police, military or both? This decree can be interpreted in many ways."
The board, Imparsial said, would be tasked to "prevent terrorism, protect civilians, deradicalize terrorists and build national preparedness." The body will only be answerable to the president, the group said.
Araf said there was no justification for the establishment of a "repressive body answerable only to the president." He added that there needed to be an executive review of the decree before the board was officially staffed.
Imparsial researcher Junaidi Simon said the decree also provided a legal loophole for the Armed Forces to lead the counterterrorism board.
"This decree allows the military a foot in the door, through its lack of restrictions on who can serve as the head of the counterterrorism board," he said.
Counterterrorism investigations and raids are currently the domain of the National Police's Densus 88 unit.
Rights groups have consistently opposed the idea of the Armed Forces getting involved in anti-terror operations because of the institution's abysmal rights record.
Earlier, the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal and Security Affairs announced that a National Counterterrorism Board would be launched later this year to address shortcomings in the government's drive against terrorist groups.
Ansyad Mbai, the head of the ministry's anti-terror desk, told the Jakarta Globe in May that the new body would coordinate with the police and the State Intelligence Agency (BIN).
"This body will work directly under the president. Hopefully, it will start to work before the end of the year," he said.
The government was widely criticized in the wake of the July 17 twin hotel bombings in Jakarta last year, which highlighted failures in the state's terrorist rehabilitation program. Several bombing suspects were found to have undergone rehabilitation.
Earlier this year, more than a dozen terrorists released from detention joined a militant group's combat training in the forests of Aceh, before clashing with security forces. The group has since been outlawed.
The government is seeking to amend existing anti-terror legislation so it can charge the Aceh militants and crack down on hate speech by hard-line clerics such as Abu Bakar Bashir, believed to be the spiritual head of militant network Jemaah Islamiyah, which is said to be affiliated with Al Qaeda.