Concerns
abound in recent times about the threats posed by radicalization and terrorism
to Indonesian society. The country's foreign minister spoke to DW about how the
government is tackling these issues.
Deutsche Welle, 20 February 2017
DW: There
are growing concerns about increasing radicalization in Indonesia. How
vulnerable is the country to this threat?
Retno
Lestari Priansari Marsudi: Let me start by saying that radicalization is not a
problem limited to any particular country. The threats of radicalism and
terrorism are faced by almost every nation worldwide. We discussed them during
the G20 meeting and also ways to improve and coordinate counter-terrorism
measures.
Terrorism
is one of the most challenging threats to world peace. In 2015, for example,
outfits affiliated to IS [the so-called Islamic State terror group] were
responsible for carrying out attacks in 28 countries. That figure was twice the
number of attacks in 2014. Over the past 16 years, 93 nations have experienced
terror attacks, resulting in some 32,000 deaths. I, therefore, would like to
stress that no country is immune to terrorism.
What
measures are being put in place by Indonesia to deal with these threats?
I think
Indonesia is a good example for how to cope with such threats. We have the
biggest Muslim population of any other country in the world, and at the same
time our community is very heterogeneous. We are therefore trying to create a
culture of tolerance.
Since the
birth of Indonesia as a country, we Indonesians know we have different
ethnicities and multiple religions, but we all want to have one country -
Indonesia. So a culture of tolerance is always there. However, as evidenced by
almost all countries, Indonesia has also faced radicalization and the threat of
terrorism. But Indonesia has so far been able to cope with the situation.
Whereas
most countries focus on hard power to counter radicalism and terrorism,
Indonesia has laid emphasis on a soft power approach, and it's working very well.
How do you
think the fears surrounding radicalism would impact Indonesia's economic
development prospects?
I don't
think international investors are worried at all about the threat of
radicalization in Indonesia, as everybody is aware that this kind of danger
exists everywhere. Regarding foreign investment, the president of Indonesia has
always stressed his commitment to make the nation's economy more open and
competitive. This is reflected in the government's initiatives over the past
year, when we introduced 14 economic reform packages. With these measures, we
do hope to draw in more foreign investment into our fast-expanding economy.
Again, we
are striving to make our economy more open and competitive and this should
attract greater foreign investment into the country.
Many are
calling on Indonesia to step up its efforts to help tackle the Rohingya crisis.
How do you envisage the Indonesian government's response to the problem?
To start
with, Myanmar is an ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] country,
like Indonesia. If something happens in Myanmar, it will surely affect the rest
of the region. So there are only two options here: either help Myanmar resolve
the problem or don't help.
Indonesia,
for its part, has decided to actively and constructively engage with Myanmar.
We understand the problem there, which created a humanitarian crisis and a
security concern in Rakhine state. We continue to convey our concerns to the
Myanmar government and stress on the need to create an environment that is
conducive for peace in Rakhine.
Retno
Lestari Priansari Marsudi:
'Indonesia has decided to actively and
constructively engage with Myanmar'
on the Rohingya issue
|
We have
also communicated with Myanmar on the importance of protecting and respecting
the human rights of all communities, including the Muslim communities. We also
underline the significance of inclusive economic development, particularly in
Rakhine state.
This way,
we convey our views, concerns and criticisms to our counterparts in the Myanmar
government, while offering our assistance at the same time.
Furthermore,
I have discussed the issue of Rohingyas with many stakeholders, including Kofi
Annan. I have visited Myanmar three times, traveled to Dhaka and paid a visit
to the refugee camps in Cox's Bazar.
I want to
underscore that we would like to not only help Myanmar in addressing the
immediate issues in Rakhine state, but also provide more medium- and long-term
assistance for the country's development.
Retno
Lestari Priansari Marsudi is currently serving as Indonesia's foreign minister.
The
interview was conducted by Vidi Legowo-Zipperer during the recent G20 foreign
ministers summit in Bonn, Germany.