Defense and Security Threat in 2015

Defense and Security Threat in 2015

By David Raja Marpaung

         In last five years, defense and security sector got a lot of serious challenge from internal and also foreign threat. From domestic area, radicalism and separatism still act as main problem. Meanwhile terrorism organization still dominant from outside.

The phenomenon Daulah Islamiyah (DI) or formerly known as ISIS predicted to be a motivation and a new spirit to the cells of terrorism in Indonesia. Before the policy was issued a ban on ISIS in Indonesia, known to a variety of community activities in supporting ISIS is already done. On the other hand, the departure of dozens of citizen to Iraq and Syria to join ISIS, can become new ammunition for training terrorists, especially the citizens who left and joined the ISIS. So a few years later after their return, then the citizen will acquire new knowledge and skills related to a variety of terrorist acts, either in the form of bomb-making ability, the ability to do terror and other terror training.

Various terrorist acts are expected to persist, both in the form of bombings, attack security forces, terror suspicious package, and a variety of other terrorist acts. Meanwhile, the offensive attitude of the US and its allies in the ISIS quell both in Iraq and Syria, through a military approach, predicted to be responded by a group of terrorists in Indonesia, with a re-using symbols of the US and its allies, as the target of the action terrorism.

Related with separatism, root of the problem is the emergence of separatism injustice, historical sentiment and weak law enforcement and adequate control. But of those three things, the injustices at the root of the most fundamental. In the Indonesian context, historically there are some areas that can be considered as a hotspot for the idea of separatism, Aceh, Papua and Maluku. But it does not mean other areas do not have the potential for separatism.

Local history and in different versions of the history of Indonesia used as an argument to justify secession. In addition, economic factors associated with the gap between the horizontal and vertical gap with regional centers also behind the idea of separatism as happened in Aceh. In case of Papua,  one of the efforts to issue the separatist movement in Papua is to hold a dialogue with Jakarta for streamlining the merger history of Papua into the Republic of Indonesia. 

Trend disturbances due separatism in Papua activities increased throughout 2014 indicates that the potential for interference and the nature of the threat of separatism in Papua, especially those conducted by OPM will continue to increase throughout 2015. 

Last, religious radicalization or violence in the name of religion makes the people of Indonesia are very aggrieved by brutal or anarchic actions that happen when they will not be met. It must get serious attention is self radicalism, the spread of the ideology of radicalism and terrorism through the print media and the Internet, especially among the young generation.

The fact is radicalism in each region has a characteristic, root causes and triggers are different. Therefore, if radicalism allowed to continue without a settlement according to its characteristics, it would threaten the integrity of the nation and the state.