U.S. SENATOR RUSS FEINGOLD ON
NATIONAL SECURITY AND COUNTERTERRORISM:
A REPORT FROM INDONESIA
February 28, 2006
Washington, D.C. - After three days of meeting with senior Indonesian
government officials including the President, the Foreign and Defense
ministers, the new Chief of the Indonesian military, and the police
chief, U.S. Senator Russ Feingold released this statement following
his return to the United States from Jakarta, Indonesia. Feingold expressed
his optimism about U.S.-Indonesian relations, but warned that the absence
of progress in areas including military reform and accountability for
past crimes against humanity could undermine further democratic reforms
and counter-terrorism efforts. A member of the Foreign Relations and
Intelligence Committees in the U.S. Senate, and a long-time advocate
for human rights and military reform in Indonesia, Feingold visited
the region to develop a better understanding of the challenges facing
the United States and its critical partners and allies in the region.
“Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim country, is a critical
player in the global fight against Al-Qaeda and its affiliates. The
terrorist organization al-Jamaah al-Islamiyah and associated groups
in the region pose a serious threat to Indonesia and to the interests
of the United States, our allies, and our friends. In response to this
threat, the U.S. needs to have a comprehensive counterterrorism strategy
and a bilateral relationship with Indonesia aimed at fighting terrorism
while supporting that country’s recent democratization. It is
also important to note that democratic reforms and the growth of civil
society have gone hand-in-hand with expanded counterterrorism efforts,
a clear indication that Indonesia’s political reforms do not come
at the cost of the government’s ability to fight terrorism.
The Indonesian military has long been an egregious perpetrator of human
rights abuses as well as a serious obstacle to democratization. In recent
years, efforts to reform the military, while commendable, have produced
mixed results. The greatest improvement has been an increase in civilian
control of the military and the withdrawal of the military from active
politics.
Ridding the military of its private business holdings and providing
greater transparency have been harder to achieve. In some areas, the
military’s treatment of civilian populations has improved, but
abuses still occur and there has been virtually no accountability for
past human rights violations.
Serious tensions continue in Papua. I urged the government of Indonesia
to address the abuses that are taking place and immediately open up
Papua to journalists and human rights organizations. Doing so would
be an important step toward making transparency and justice a new norm
for Indonesia.
United States policy toward Indonesia, including the implementation
of the Administration’s decision to resume military assistance,
must take these ongoing concerns into account. We must ensure that our
assistance promotes reform and human rights, we must remain vigilant
to any backsliding, and we must develop clear benchmarks for progress.
Carefully circumscribing any new military assistance is critical to
formulating an effective bilateral counterterrorism relationship. There
may be areas where the Indonesian military’s role is warranted,
such as maritime security. But any resurrection of the military’s
historical role in domestic security would be counterproductive to the
fight against terrorism, not least because it would likely alienate
much of the population. We must therefore make clear that such a development
would undermine our bilateral relationship.
We must also be alert to the risk that military assistance could overwhelm
other elements of a larger counterterrorism strategy. If Indonesia is
going to effectively fight terrorism, it must develop a professional,
capable, and honest police force and strong judiciary. An imbalanced
U.S. assistance program could harm reform efforts and undermine Indonesia’s
nascent efforts to coordinate the counterterrorism roles of its various
military, police and civilian agencies. Finally, we must expand assistance
programs in the areas of education, economic development and the promotion
of civil societies. No counterterrorism strategy can succeed unless
the political, social and economic conditions that breed terrorism are
confronted head on.
Ultimately, we must consider Indonesia in the context of the global
fight against Al-Qaeda and its affiliates and the war in Iraq. Public
opinion in Indonesia, as in Muslim communities throughout the region,
is critically important if we are to dry up potential havens and recruiting
grounds for terrorists. Yet Indonesians’ views on U.S. policy
in Iraq range from indifference to deep suspicion. At best, Iraq is
seen as “America’s problem.” Clearly, the Iraq war
continues to drain American resources and distract our attention from
the critically important work of engaging our friends and allies in
the fight against Al-Qaeda and its affiliates with all the tools at
our disposal.
Feingold visited Indonesia from February 22 to February 25, 2006. In
addition to meeting government officials, Feingold met with human rights
advocates, journalists and other members of civil society, as well as
leaders of the political opposition. Feingold also visited Banda Aceh
with Admiral William Fallon of U.S. Pacific Command to review post-tsunami
reconstruction efforts and progress being made in the peace agreement
between the government and the Free Aceh Movement.
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