Page 30 - Diplomatic Voice 2014 Vol 1

NEWS Attachment Programme at the Embassy of Malaysia in Jakarta, Republic of Indonesia By Mohd Firdaus Azman managed to experience the ups and lows of life as Malaysian diplomats abroad. Participants also had the opportunity to interact with counter- parts from agencies pertinent to their diplomatic roles, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia (KEMLU), School of Foreign Service of the Republic of Indonesia (SEKDILU) and ASEAN Secretariat. Discussion sessions were also held between the participants and the Sixteen participants of the Diploma in of diplomacy and international rela- committee members of Malaysia Diplomacy (DiD) course series 1/2014 tions. It is also designed to equip the Chambers Jakarta (MCJ) and repre- had the opportunity to attend an participants with the knowledge and sentative of the Indonesian Institute of attachment programme at the Embas- skills necessary for their diplomatic Sciences to further understand the sy of Malaysia in Jakarta, Republic of career. local political, economical and social Indonesia from 22 to 29 March 2014. scenes. Apart from the substantive The eight-day programme was head- During the programme, the partici- schedule, the participants also visited ed by Ambassador Aminahtun Hj. A. pants had not only managed to learn National Museum of the Republic of Karim, Deputy Director General (C) of more about the Republic of Indonesia Indonesia and Taman Mini Indonesia IDFR. The programme is aimed to train in the context of politics, economy, Indah. Malaysian junior diplomats in the fields social and culture, but they also al-Jemaah al-Islamiyah Book Review by Jasmine Jawhar Southeast Asia Regional Centre for region’s most feared terrorist organi- direction and operations of the organi- Counter-Terrorism (SEARCCT) is a sation. In the effort to demonstrate sation. The manual contains the capacity building and research Centre this, the author began by outlining four philosophy, objectives, principles, or- under the purview of the Ministry of different theories on how JI was estab- ganisational structure, modus operan- Foreign Affairs, Malaysia. In October lished. The first and the most popular di of JI and the ideological construct of 2013, SEARCCT through its Research theory of the four is the argument that JI i.e. the influence of salafi-jihadiyyah and Publications Division published a JI was an offshoot group of Indone- ideology, the misinterpretation of jihad monograph entitled, al-Jemaah al- sia’s Darul Islam (DI) movement. The and the misconception of al Wala wa al Islamiyah written by Kennimrod Sari- second theory explores the idea that JI Bara. buraja. was formed as a result of a “Black Operation” orchestrated by Badan Looking at the organisational structure The monograph is based on an Koordinasi Intelijen Negara (BAKIN), of JI, it is clear that the organisation in-depth study with the aim of while the third theory suggests that the has developed a systematic structure examining and understanding the formation of JI was inspired by the with a top-to-bottom hierarchy that history, ideology, organisational struc- Soviet-Afghan War in the 1980s. The can be divided into upper hierarchy ture, recruitment process, financial last theory claims that JI was formed and lower hierarchy. In the upper resources and operational methods of following the establishment of Pesant- hierarchy setup, the amir (leader), is one of Southeast Asia’s terrorist group ren al-Mukmin (Pondok Ngruki) by assisted by four councils comprising known as the al-Jemaah al-Islamiyah Abdullah Sungkar and Abu Bakar of senior members of JI known as or Jemaah Islamiyah (JI). In this mono- BaÑÉsyir, also known as the founding Majlis Qiyadah Mazkaziyyah (leader- graph, the author managed to gain fathers of JI. ship council), Majlis Syura (advisory first-hand information from former council), Majlis Fatwa (fatwa council) terrorists, academicians, experts and In order to fully understand JI, it is and Majlis Hisbah (disciplinary coun- security personnel in the field of terror- essential to study JI’s own manual cil). Under the four councils, there are ism and counter-terrorism. known as the Pedoman Umum four additional regional command Perjuangan al-Jemaah al-Islamiyah areas including Mantiqi Ula that covers The work not only looks at how JI (PUPJI) in which the author explored in Malaysia and Singapore, Mantiqi came into existence but also how it the monograph. The manual essential- Thani that covers Indonesia (excluding evolved and became one of the ly serve as a guide with regards to the East Kalimantan, Sulawesi and 30 bulletin@idfr.gov.my