by: Bening Arumsari)*
Radicalism is the gateway to terrorism. All parties can be exposed to radicalism regardless of age, occupation, or education. It is very important to prevent the spread of radicalism in the university environment. Because higher education is a place to forge superior seeds for the nation’s successors, which will bring changes to Indonesia in the future.
Radicalism is an understanding or flow that wants social and political change or renewal by means of violence. This understanding also refers to extreme attitudes in political flow. Professor of Political Psychology, University of Indonesia, Hamdi Muluk explained that conservatism, fundamentalism, closed-mindedness, and intolerance can be the seeds of radicalism for individuals.
The process of overcoming radicalism in higher education is important at this time in the midst of the new student admissions season at every university or institute. This is important to do so that new students are more familiar with their lecture environment and can filter the activities they will go through from the effects of radicalism.
It is known that many universities are committed to preventing the spread of radicalism for their students. The National Development University (UPN) Veterans Jakarta also helps the academic community on campus to be free from the spread of radicalism, intolerance, and to prevent the spread of radicalism, intolerance, and terrorism on campus. This commitment from UPN Veterans Jakarta is evidenced by the signing of a memorandum of understanding and cooperation agreement with the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT).
The activity, which took place at the Sultan Hotel, Jakarta, was attended by the leaders of the BNPT, the Leaders of the Veterans Legion of the Republic of Indonesia (LVRI), and the leaders of UPN Veterans Jakarta with a total of 40 participants. Head of BNPT, Commissioner General of Police (Komjen Pol.) Dr. Boy Rafli Amar explained that it was important to hold this activity to prevent the spread of radicalism, intolerance, and terrorism in the education sector. This is in accordance with a memorandum of understanding that has been made jointly between the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (Kemendikbud, Research and Technology), and the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag).
The Chancellor of UPN Veterans Jakarta, Prof. Dr. Erna Hernawati hopes that this collaboration will bring beneficial results to the campus. He added that there was a need for socialization to lecturers and education staff as well as students in the campus environment regarding the prevention of radical understanding, intolerance, and terrorism.
General Chairman of LVRI Major General TNI (Mayjen TNI) (Ret.) Saiful Sulun explained that currently the Indonesian nation is facing many threats of spreading radicalism, intolerance, and terrorism. Therefore, it is not only the BNPT that must move, but all parties, be it LVRI or the education sector.
Activities to prevent the spread of radicalism in the university environment are also carried out by the University of Indonesia (UI). The Head of BNPT in his opportunity to give a public lecture during the Introduction to Campus Life for New Students (PKKMB) invited 9,000 new UI students to always remember the four consensus of the Indonesian Nation, namely Pancasila, Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, NKRI, and the 1945 Constitution. Komjen Pol Dr. Boy Rafli Amar emphasized that the four consensus of the Indonesian Nation is a joint agreement with the founding fathers of the nation to recognize the differences from Sabang to Merauke, but has one goal, namely the strengthening of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia.
The head of BNPT invites UI students to seek and develop knowledge according to their field of expertise, while building and maintaining Indonesian character. The character of Indonesia is plural, tolerant, has a patriotic spirit, and has the spirit of defending the country. He is of the view that the spirit of Indonesia needs to be fostered in the midst of the swift currents of technological progress and the spread of transactional ideology, including the radical ideology of terrorism. The younger generation as the largest active users of social media must be more selective in choosing the content they consume, because a lot of social media content has been infiltrated by radicalism.
BNPT as a state institution tasked with tackling terrorism in Indonesia also invited Bung Karno University to work together to prevent the spread of radical understanding of terrorism on campus. The collaboration between the BNPT and the campus is carried out because BNPT wants the massive influence of radicalism and terrorism in the campus world to be alerted and quickly identified. This is because campus students belong to a vulnerable group exposed to radicalism and terrorism.
BNPT’s efforts to counter radicalism with various universities received support from the Deputy Chairman of Commission III of the DPR, Ahmad Sahroni. He appreciated the BNPT for carrying out its duties very well in mapping the potential for the spread of radicalism, especially in educational institutions. This is an important and appropriate step, considering that educational institutions are the starting place in nurturing the nation’s next generation.
The Nasdem Party politician hopes that the mapping data of the potential spread of radicalism owned by the BNPT will be followed up immediately and a solution is sought, in order to reduce the number of spreading teachings of radicalism in universities.
Preventing the spread of radicalism is our collective duty. Higher education as a place to educate the next generation of the nation must also strive so that radical understanding does not infiltrate every activity of the academic community. By keeping universities free from the spread of radicalism, it means that we have safeguarded Indonesia’s future to be able to compete with the world community without the threat of terrorism.
)* The author is a Contributor for Pertiwi Institute