Adi Lazuardi, Jakarta – It is predicted that the authority provided to the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) under the draft intelligence law could give rise to new rivalry between the national police, particularly in anti-terrorism projects.

“Meaning the national police will have difficulties establishing communication with intelligence in coordination. On the contrary it will be worse again, with each institution competing to obtain information on the ground and competing to obtain anti-terror projects”, said Usman Hamid, the coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras).

Hamid raised this issue after watching a showing of the documentary film ‘Inside Indonesia’s War on Terror’ at the Kine Forum at the Taman Ismail Marzuki Arts Center in Cikini, Central Jakarta, on Monday April 18, 2011. The film is about terrorism in Indonesia and it its link to the intelligence agencies.

“The economic and political benefits discussed in the film earlier, are also something that is a kind of a question mark between the police’s Detachment 88 anti-terror unit and BIN”, he continued.

In addition to economic motives, said Hamid, terrorism could also become a reason to defend the old style of intelligence. Policies in the name of terrorism will continue to be prioritised in order to strengthen powerful influences. “From intelligence circles that up until now have been responsible for terrorism”, he added.

It is because of this that Hamid believes that the authority to arrest, conduct intensive interrogations, detain suspects, freeze bank accounts and tap phones provided to BIN under the draft intelligence law must be done away with.

If not the police will find it difficult to coordinate with state intelligence. “This is not independence because there are political interests behind it”, he said. (mad/rdf)

Source: RUU Intelijen Picu Persaingan Polri & BIN dalam Proyek Antiteror – detikNews. Senin, 18/04/2011

[Translated by James Balowski.]