Beware of radicalism: Minister Mahfud MD

Beware of radicalism which is a foundation of terrorism, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud MD has told the Indonesian people on the occasion of the commemoration of International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism.

“During the commemoration today, the government has reminded us to be always cautious and the vigilance should begin from how to deal with radicalism,” Mahfud MD said here on Sunday.

The international day is commemorated every August 21. The theme of the commemoration in 2022 is ‘Surviving Terrorism: The Power of Memories’.

The coordinating minister has noted that there are three forms of radicalism. The first one is an attitude showing dislike towards social and cultural diversity.

The second one is discourses to influence the people to change the state ideology and the constitution, he added.

Meanwhile, the third one is terrorism, which is the most extreme form of radicalism, he remarked.

He said that the government has prepared various legal instruments to combat the three forms of radicalism, such as Law Number 5 of 2018 as well as a number of institutions, such as the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) and the Indonesian National Police’s anti-terror squad Densus 88.

The BNPT is tasked to conduct counter-radicalization and de-radicalization attempts, while Densus 88 is assigned to take action against terror perpetrators, Mahfud has continued.

“Meanwhile, the one who compensates and helps the recovery of the (terrorism) victims in cooperation with BNPT is LPSK (Witness and Victim Protection Agency) ,” he said.

He also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to eradicating terrorism since it had been assumed as the enemy of all people.

“Taking firm actions against terrorism aims to maintain people’s dignity, (and) protect people’s life which is the most basic (human) right,” he emphasized.

The commemoration was organized jointly by LPSK, BNPT, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Indonesia.

Source: Antara News