Former Terrorism Convict Slams Govt's Deradicalization Program

Former terrorist convict Agus Marshal has lambasted the program initiated by the government to curb radicalism among terrorism convicts, saying that the program is too formal and not carried out optimally. Agus, who was sentenced to three years in prison for terrorism offenses in 2012, said that he was indicted together with Yayat Cahdiyat, a convicted terrorist who died on Monday after taking part in a bomb attack in Cicendo district, Bandung, in West Java. They were declared guilty for a gas station robbery in Kali Asin, Cikampek, to fund military training in Aceh. Agus who completed his sentence in 2016 said the communication pattern developed by the government with the former convicts was too formal. He suggested that the relationship take on a parent-and-child dynamic. "What I feel is the formal form [of the program]. We all know the character of Indonesian bureaucracy, it is not like a father and son relationship. For the child's sake [the relationship] should not be based on demands," he said. Agus welcomed Purwakarta regent Dedi Mulyadi’s offer to him to work as a local cleaner and teacher at Purwakarta's Ideology School to help him get back on his feet.  He said it was very important for former convicts to be financially independent, however they also need guidance in their social and financial affairs. "The point is [the government] must really accept each former terrorism convict so that they feel like they have a country and a government," he added.