Head of P3A HMI STDN Makassar Commissariat, Muhammad Riswan appreciated the government’s efforts in eradicating and dealing with the spread of radical ideas.
“The government itself has made maximum efforts to eradicate radical and intolerant ideas in Indonesia,” he said
The man who also serves as Chairman of the Makassar City People’s Fighters Union sees that the Government’s success in fighting radicalism, including terrorism, is reflected in Indonesia’s rise in the ranking of the Global Terrorism Index in 2024 compared to the previous year.
“This step was relatively successfully implemented in line with Indonesia’s position rising in the 2024 Global Terrorism Index from the medium impacted to low impacted category,” he explained.
He also highlighted various efforts to eradicate radicalism and terrorism which were not without obstacles. The reason is that there are still narratives of support for radical ideology and accusations of the government cornering certain parties.
One preventive effort to prevent radicalism, added Riswan, is to use social media wisely because currently there is a lot of incorrect information.
“Currently there is a lot of misinformation circulating on social media, it is important to be able to choose the right reference in accessing information so as not to be provoked,” he said.
Apart from that, preventing and overcoming terrorism can also be carried out through increasing religious, national and socio-political insight.
“Efforts are needed to foster the spirit of Pancasila in young people as capital in building an understanding of tolerance amidst existing differences,” he continued.
In the same vein, Head of Cadreization for the Branch Management of the Indonesian Islamic Youth Movement (PC PMII Makassar City) Ramli Ardiansah views that digitalization of information also opens up opportunities for the spread of radical ideas.
According to the Head of PC PMII Cadre Formation for Makassar City, the younger generation tends to be easily lured by radicalism because it is often packaged with heroic narratives.
“Today’s youth generation is attracted to the ethos of fighting against corruption, which then causes the spread of radicalism, which is the main tool for the youth generation.” he said
He also hopes that the younger generation will always fortify themselves and strengthen nationalism and implement moderation