Unity a weapon against extremism

THE recent nationwide arrests of a dozen individuals, including two DAP assemblymen, who were allegedly linked to the defunct Sri Lankan terrorist group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) certainly took the nation by surprise.

One may wonder as to how the LTTE, which was defeated by the Sri Lankan government 10 years ago in 2009, has suddenly re-emerged with the arrest of these individuals who are suspected of being involved in financing, recruitment and a supposed resurgence of the group.

Penang Deputy Chief Minister II Dr P. Ramasamy questioned the arrests, saying that the LTTE is a defunct organisation and it is not possible that they are active as the armed struggle in Sri Lanka is long over.

The war against terrorism today is no longer just a physical one. It has become an ideological war, and ideologies are not extinguished easily. Just because a terrorist group is defunct, it does not mean that we no longer need to worry about them. Nations can never underestimate the threat of any terrorist group whether defunct or active.

The same applies to the Islamic State (IS). Many thought the war against terrorism was over when the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) declared victory over IS earlier this year. However, President Donald Trump’s recent withdrawal of US troops from Syria has led to an offensive by Turkish forces in the north-eastern border region of the country. There is a high chance that this may lead to a power vacuum in Syria and the possible resurgence of IS. Therefore, these issues cannot be taken lightly.

Many have sought to racialise and politicise the recent LTTE arrests. Malay hardliners have begun to accuse the ruling party of harbouring racial extremists while some members of the DAP have claimed that this is a plot to weaken their party.

The Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma) has been thrust in the limelight yet again. A number of people have claimed that the arrest of the individuals linked to the LTTE under Sosma is unfair, draconian and racially motivated. They say that some of the other Muslim extremists were not arrested under this Act.

First things first. A terrorist group is a terrorist group. Whether its ideology is based on religion or ethnicity, any terrorist group that has the potential to carry out attacks and jeopardise the safety and security of a nation and its people is an enemy of the state.

All terrorist suspects are arrested under Sosma, and I believe there are no double standards in this case. Arrests are made based on solid evidence and not at the whim and fancy of the police, who are just carrying out their job in protecting the nation from threats.

Earlier this year, the Special Branch arrested an Islamic State wolf pack comprising a Malaysian, two Rohingya Muslims and an Indonesian, who were suspected of planning to carry out large-scale attacks on non-Muslim places of worship. This was the first instance where IS was able to use local inter-ethnic sentiments and exploit foreigners to influence an attack.

In view of current developments and the political climate, the inherent multi-ethnic nature of Malaysia certainly places the country on thin ice when it comes to inter-ethnic issues. Advances in technology and the free flow of information through social media and the Internet gives rise to the potential for increasingly hybrid societal conflicts in the country.

These conflicts, which are multi-modal in nature, may develop as a result of a mixture of external and internal factors and may involve individuals from within the country as well as foreigners. A good example is the Syrian conflict where a large number of fighters from all over the world travelled and fought under the IS banner, which was essentially fighting for a local cause.

These societal conflicts start on a small scale but may develop into race and religious hatred and finally culminate in extremism and terrorism.

Malaysia certainly faces a tricky situation in its fight against extremism. Many trivial issues tend to be racialised and politicised by certain parties for political mileage. The growing fundamentalist statements being made by politicians are both worrying and unhealthy for a multi-ethnic state like Malaysia. Events driven by fundamentalist motivations, like the recent Malay Dignity Conference that was organised by a number of senior academics from public universities, have a potential to exacerbate racial fissures in the country.

The inherent nature of local politics together with the growing spread of extremism is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. Hybrid terrorist groups like IS definitely have the capabilities to capitalise on inter-racial conflicts and grievances to drive their cause and promote attacks.

The current government must certainly keep in mind that it is in charge of a multi-ethnic country and take into account the grievances of all parties before making any key policy decisions. Caving in to the pressures and demands of fundamentalists may have devastating consequences for the nation. We should work together as a united front in maintaining inter-ethnic and religious harmony as unity and tolerance are the only weapons against the current and future threats posed by extremism.