Deliberations Must Not Be Protracted

It is urgent that deliberations to revise Law No. 15/2003 on antiterrorism be completed soon. Law enforcement agencies require a strong legal umbrella to fight terror.

KOMPAS/HENDRA A SETYAWAN

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JAKARTA, KOMPAS – Deliberations to revise Law No. 15/2003 on antiterrorism must not be protracted. Currently, one point remains in the deliberation, namely the definition of terrorism and the improvement of formulating several other points.

Arsul Sani, the antiterrorism bill special committee member from the House of Representatives’ United Development Party (PPP) faction, said he promised the deliberation would be complete during the fifth House sitting session this year, namely between May 18 and July 27.

“I am convinced that the deliberation can be finished in the next sitting session,” he said when contacted from Jakarta on Thursday (10/5/2018).

This is not the first time the special committee has set a target of completion for the bill’s deliberation. Kompas records show that several similar targets had been set in the past, all of which were missed. The special committee has spent 11 sitting sessions since April 2016 to deliberate the bill.

In a press conference at the Bogor Palace on Thursday, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto urged the House to complete its deliberation on the Antiterrorism Law revision. Once approved, the law is aimed and helping law enforcement agencies tackle terror acts.

Does not change

Arsul said that he hoped the riot at the National Police’s Mobile Brigade detention center in Kelapa Dua, Depok, West Java, did not change any major points in the Antiterrorism Law revision that the government and the House had previously agreed upon.

“Further changes will surely prolong the law’s deliberation,” he said.

Risa Mariska, special committee member from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) faction, said she was convinced the incident at the detention center would not affect deliberation.

“Our deliberation of the Antiterrorism Law revision and the incident at the detention center are two separate things,” she said. “The law revision deals with issues that have yet to be regulated so far, while the incident at the detention center is more related to standard operating procedures and other technical matters regulated in the National Police chief’s regulations.”

According to her, any evaluation related to the incident at the detention center would deal with technical matters, such as improvements to the detention center’s security.

Furthermore, evaluations are also necessary on the technical formulation of deradicalization programs, both in the Antiterrorism Law revision and at a technical level under the domain of the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT). Deradicalization programs must be made quicker, more effective and more targeted.

In a version of the Antiterrorism Law revision dated April 18, four stages of the deradicalization program are listed. The first stage is identifying individuals’ level of radicalism and their roles in terror groups or networks. Second is rehabilitating them to reduce their level of radicalism.

Third is reeducating them and encouraging them to leave behind their radical views. Fourth is social reintegration, which includes a series of activities to prepare individuals exposed to radical and terror views to return to society.

(AGE)