Nurul Fitri Ramadhani, Jakarta – A number of religious leaders proposed on Wednesday that lawmakers include a deradicalization strategy in the ongoing amendment of a terrorism law.
During a hearing with the House of Representatives' special committee on the bill, Rev. Agus Ulahayanan from the Indonesian Bishops Conference (KWI) said the law was currently only focusing on repressive measures against terrorism.
"Repressive actions can lead to human rights abuses," Agus said. He suggested that the draft also mention clearly deradicalization programs, which was a necessary step to mitigate radical movements.
Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, has seen a spate of deadly attacks by Islamic militants including the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists. In recent years, smaller, less deadly strikes have targeted government authorities, mainly police and counterterrorism forces.
The most recent attack was a suicide bombing in Thamrin, Central Jakarta, on Jan. 14 that killed eight people, including four militants, who claimed allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) radical movement. The attack, subsequently pushed the government to desperately revise its current terrorism law to be more comprehensive in combatting terrorist acts.
The Council of Buddhist Communities (Walubi) chairman Suhardi Sendjadja said that no religion had taught or would teach terrorism.
"No religion will ever teach [terrorism]. Basically, radical ideology comes from anger and greed. Lawmakers should design such a sensitive regulation with a clear mind, otherwise it will open the door for law enforcers to discredit certain religious groups," Suhardi said.
Deputy secretary-general of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) Amirsyah Tambunan said terrorism was caused by the disappointment of people with the government's failure to ensure justice and welfare.
Henrik Lokra from the Indonesian Communion of Churches' (PGI) justice and peace commission said law enforcers should work with religious leaders to understand the terrorists' mind-set. "It's important to curb terrorism in peaceful ways and avoid repressive acts," he said.
The Confucian Supreme Council of Indonesia (Matakin), said to combat terrorism, law enforcers should take a soft approach to alleged terrorist suspects, ex-terrorists and their families, not repression.
"We have to uphold elements of love and care in preventive measures and deradicalization. More importantly, the government has to exemplify clean governance, because radicalism stems from a crisis in trust of the state," Matakin chairman Uung Sendana said.
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/02/law-needs-tame-radical-groups.html