Abstract:

This paper discusses Indonesian ‘radical groups’ discourse on counter-terrorism policies by the government of Indonesia and why it is important to look at it closely to help us to understand the real dynamics surrounding Indonesia’s war on terrorism. Until now, official information from the Indonesian authorities regarding terrorist groups and counter terrorism efforts had been the most important sources in shaping various analysis’ both in academics and mass media on the issue of terrorism at the national and global level. Despite plenty of evidences that undermine the credibility of some official information, from indications of proof fabrication and witness manipulation to excessive violence and extrajudicial killings, they had never been adequately criticized and questioned. The information from the authorities was frequently taken as ‘the (only) truth.’ Of course, different stories on terrorism and counter terrorism policies in Indonesia did exist. Many of them came from the target of counter terrorism policies: Indonesian ‘radical’ Islamist organizations. Nevertheless, their versions were often taken for granted as false stories that must not be heard at all. This paper traces back how the Global War on Terror discourse had created a ‘binary opposition of rationality’ that build and strengthen the stereotype that radical Islamists are irrational actors who create and believe in conspiracy theories. This ‘binary opposition of rationality’ had been used to dismiss all criticisms to official information regarding the issue of terrorism and counter terrorism policies in Indonesia by labeling it as conspiracy theories. Looking closely at Indonesia’s political history and current practices of counter terrorism, this paper argues that both official and alternative versions need to be heard and scrutinized critically.

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