Malaysia’s Counter-Terrorism Focus
Terrorism in Malaysia has been recorded since 1968 – 1989 at the time of the communist uprising in Malaysia. This period is known as the Second Malayan Emergency or in Malay it is known as the ‘Perang Insurgency Melawan Pengganas Komunis or Perang Insurgency Komunis and Darurat Kedua’ involving the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) and the Malaysian Federal Security Forces. The rebellion ended on December 2, 1989 with a peace treaty with the Malaysian Government in Hatyai, southern Thailand.
The success of the Malaysian government in making the MCP peace agreement made the Malaysian authority start the strategy they used at that time by implementing it when they were dealing with the Al Qaeda terrorist group, facing the threat of ISIS in the Southeast Asian region.
Zikri Kamarudin, PhD Candidate from the Faculty of Law, University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, told The Apex Chronicles that there are three strategies currently being used by the Malaysian government are the development of strategies from previous times which were considered successful in dealing with threats from groups that threaten national security.
“First, we use a two-way approach, counter-terrorism and de-radicalization,” he said.
This contrasts with just the arrest of terrorists who pose a threat to the national security situation. Deradicalization is a rehabilitation process since the beginning of the arrest, that is, not just capturing, but also a ‘physiological’ process to reduce the chances of recidivists appearing.
The second method, the Malaysian government uses a soft approach that underlines humanity. “We don’t have facilities like Guantanamo (a prison belonging to the United States located at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba that is used as a place to get rid of hardliners and terrorists) that uses means to threaten those who are radicals,” Zikri said.
Instead, the Malaysian Government decided to use “human” way that treat them humanely because they believe that they have a right to dignity. “Our police officers treat them well and follow the rule of law in conducting investigations and due process in court,” Zikri continued.
Furthermore, the Malaysian Government also involves family members of the radicals as one of the means in the deradicalization process. Mothers, wives and children of terrorist suspects are believed to be important factors in the rehabilitation process. “Once their immediate family members persuade them to disclose their involvement with terrorist activities, the majority of them will agree and start cooperating with law enforcement officials,” Zikri said.
Terrorism observer from ISTAC-IIUM, Ahmad El Muhammady, confirmed Zikri’s opinion. According to him, Malaysia has a good history of defeating the previous communists. “The lessons we learned during the communist uprising, along with laws such as the Internal Security Act 1960 are used to tackle the threat of terrorism today,” he said.
Early Detection
Normah Ishak, head of the Counter-Terrorism division in the Malaysian police force’s intelligence arm, said that indeed Malaysia is currently focusing on soft-approach, but this application may change according to the situation and conditions.
Covid-19 without exception has an impact on acts of terrorism in Malaysia which shows a downward trend during the pandemic. This opportunity was not wasted by the Malaysian government, which then increased the percentage of prevention activities in the form of early detection and monitoring of social media to flatten the curve to the flat level. With early detection, engagement will be carried out at the earliest level, so it is likely that they can still be convinced to be neutralized. However, if after the assessment has been carried out the person concerned still refuses, then further interrogation will be carried out and the person concerned may be detained.
“We just increase the percentage of prevention, we can always change back our strategy,” said Norman.
El Muhammady said that early detection is very possible, but it can only be done by an expert or a person who specializes in this matter. “Most people can’t detect it, it can only be done by the expert,” explained El Muhammady.
El Muhammady added that, “One of the key components of Malaysia’s effectiveness in tackling terrorism is having a good intelligence services that is able to detect early warning signs that might pose a threat to Malaysia.”
According to him, there are at least three key indicators that can be observed, namely Verbal indicators through verbal expression. We can observe this when we talk to the person. Expression/expression indicators – through writing, posting in Facebook and Twitters. Behavioral indicators by action, the action of support, physically involved in terrorist act, violence. Then, cognitive indicators the thinking process, and it will be observed through verbal expression, writing, publication.
From Zikri’s observation, who also works for the Royal Malaysian Police, collaboration between the police, security agencies and moderate clerics such as Imams and Ustadz is very much needed. Moderate clerics are expected to have dialogue with terrorist prisoners and provide religious guidance as well as correct misperceptions about religious teachings, as well as provide a safe space for terrorism convicts to express themselves.
“This involvement can form a relationship of mutual trust, in which the ulema can play a major role in dampening the radicalization process,” explained Zikri.
Social Media Monitoring
In addition, according to Zikri, social media monitoring should also get more attention because it serves to ensure messages are spread on social media. This monitoring and analysis of social media can later be used to measure the impact and perception of messages and evaluate the effectiveness of campaign plans and communications.
In line with Zikri, Normah also said that social media is currently the focus of the authorities in Malaysia. Based on her presentation in a Webinar entitled “Next Generation Afghan Alumni? Assessment from SEA” on Wednesday April 6, Normah explained that social media, especially Facebook and communication media, especially whatsapp and telegram, are tools used to spread propaganda as well as recruit new terrorist members.
El Muhammady explained that telegram groups are indeed one of the most widely used communication tools by terrorist network groups in Malaysia. “Telegram group is attractive because it is secured, convenient for sharing ideas and materials. Plus it is free of charge,” he said.
Furthermore, Zikri sees that the federal government must increase funding in the deradicalization program, especially after detainees are released from detention. “While education is the responsibility of the province, the welfare of prisoners is an important part of the deradicalization process,” he said.
He suggested creating a funding program where the authorities in this case the Police, NGOs and religious centers throughout Malaysia can apply directly. These funds should be used strictly in developing social and economic activities for ex-terrorists and their families. These programs may include indoor or outdoor activities, work programs, and training in vocational programs. As supported by the literature, engagement is one of the key factors in the success of deradicalization.
