In the Covid-19 Pandemic Era, Indonesia and ASEAN Must Anticipate Traditional and Non-Traditional Security Threats
Detiktoday.com – The Coordinating Ministry for Politics, Law and Security through Deputy II in the Field of Foreign Politics Coordination conducts ASEAN Webinar activities Anticipating Traditional and Non-Traditional Security Threats in the Covid-19 Pandemic Era.
In the event that was opened by Deputy II for the Coordination of Foreign Politics, Ambassador Lutfi Rauf conveyed that the Covid-19 Pandemic had a very significant impact on all aspects of life in the Southeast Asian region.
“Amid the efforts of ASEAN and Indonesia to tackle and mitigate the impact of Covid-19, we must not be careless or loose our sight of actors who will take advantage of a pandemic situation to commit crime,” explained Lutfi Rauf when opening a Webinar at the University of Gajahmada, Yogyakarta, Thursday (7/23/2020).
Regarding terrorism and radicalism crimes recorded in Indonesia during the pandemic from January to June 2020 there were more than 180 terrorism suspects who were secured by the police.
“In addition, we also noted that criminal acts of financing terrorism increased by more than 101%, which were carried out through crowdfunding and social media, fintech, crypto assets and stable coins,” he said.
In the midst of the PSBB situation or now being replaced as an adaptation of new habits and social distancing, where many people live at home, a group of parties have used it to spread hatred and propaganda through social media.
A network of terrorist groups linked to ISIS and Al-Qaeda in Southeast Asia is actively campaigning for online propaganda against government policies related to health protocol handling Covid-19.
Covid-19 not only has an impact on non-traditional aspects of security but has also triggered changes in the geo-political map in the Region. The United States as one of the Major Power in the Region tends to be inward looking under President Donald Trump’s Leadership which then triggers the weakening of multilateralism cooperation.
Through the ASEAN meeting mechanism or the ARF, peaceful and constructive dialogues can be held. Indonesia as a non-claimant state in the LTS and as one of the largest countries in ASEAN should play a full role in calling on the disputing parties to conduct self-restraint to avoid increasing tensions.
“Indonesia also invites all parties to prioritize the ways of peace negotiations based on the 1982 UNCLOS and respect for the principles of freedom of navigation and over-flight,” Lutfi explained.
In this case, Indonesia will continue to encourage the process of negotiating the Code of Conduct on the South China Sea (CoC), which had been stalled due to Covid-19, to resume immediately after the pandemic was over. Indonesia is of the view that the completion of the CoC as an important component to guarantee the commitment of ASEAN and China in maintaining stability in the Region.
The challenges faced by Indonesia and ASEAN due to the impact of Covid-19 are felt to be indeed not easy. Indonesia as a country that is seen as a natural leader in ASEAN must be able to show its leadership by strengthening ASEAN solidity and embracing all partner countries in the Region to create a joint solution. Transnational threats cannot be resolved by one country alone but require close solutions and collaboration at both the regional and global levels.
“Therefore, in this webinar our opinions and new views are very much needed to be used as a reference for the Indonesian government to help ease tensions in the LTS,” he said.
It is hoped that this activity can increase the awareness of the participants regarding the challenges faced by Indonesia and ASEAN in the context of traditional and non-traditional security in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speakers at the event included the Functional Diplomat Main Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Chilman Arisman, Director of the ASEAN Studies Center UGM Dr. Dafri Agussalim, and Senior Assistant to the ASC UGM Fellow and HI UGM Lecturer Dr. Muhammad Rum. Respondents are Associate Professor Binus Dina Prapto Raharja and Deputy Assistant of ASEAN Cooperation Coordinating Minister for Politics and Security Abdullah Zulkifli. While the moderators were ASC UGM Senior Researh Fellow and HI UGM Lecturer Dr. Randy Wirasta Nandyatama.
