REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Counterterrorism must not be exaggerated and should prioritize local wisdom and protection, according to Suhardi Somomoeljono, a legal practitioner. He asserted the presence of Law on Counterterrorism should make terrorism handling in Indonesia better.
"Protection and local wisdom must be prioritized. There should be no overacting," he noted in a statement, Thursday.
The Law, which was recently passed by the House of Representatives (DPR), is expected to offer protection to the public from terror. Hence, every involved stakeholder must be capable of delivering the mandate.
He expressed optimism that terror handing in Indonesia would be well-implemented if it prioritizes protection, local wisdom, and respect of human rights. The government currently needs to issue a government regulation to interpret the Law's articles having multiple interpretations, according to Somomoeljono.
On May 25, a plenary session of the DPR agreed in acclamation to pass into law a bill on terrorism after being shelved for almost two years. Deputy House Speaker Agus Hermanto chaired the plenary session.
The long delay in the decision was mainly over disagreement on the definition of terrorism. The 10 factions of the House reached an agreement on the definition on May 24 evening after a lengthy debate.
The House was under pressure to approve and pass the bill into law after President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) threatened to issue a regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) unless the House failed to pass the bill, which is a revision of the old law this month.
Police Chief General Tito Karnavian had earlier also urgently called on President Jokowi to issue a Perppu to offer a legal basis to the police to act firmly against terror suspects. He remarked that the draft law was more effective in eliminating terrorism.
"We know their cells, but the law forbids us to touch them before they commit any crime," he added.
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