"The President has asked for more integrated efforts to be made in dealing with terrorists so that the results are better," Coordinating Minister for Political, Security and Legal Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan said at the Presidential Palace here on Thursday.
He said threats of terrorism are increasing and they have escalated across the world, including Indonesia.
Luhut said President Joko Widodo had made the request at a meeting with a number of cabinet ministers and heads of state institutions in the palace that afternoon.
"We had the new police chief, the chief of the National Intelligence Agency, the commander of the defense forces and the head of the Financial Transactions Analysis and Reported Center (PPATK) in the meeting," he said.
Deputy Chairman of the House Commission VIII overseeing Religious, Social and Womens Empowerment Affairs, Sodik Mudjahid, had said earlier that terrorism has been one of the important issues the police had to paid attention to.
He said he hoped that Islamic boarding schools or "pesantren" would not continue to be stigmatized in connection with the issue.
"(Terrorism) must be settled quickly and thoroughly and its fight must not impress as if it is used for training, testing of weapons or a police project," he said.
He said the stigma must not be generalized to affect educational institutions like "pesantrens."
Sodik also expressed that the police under the leadership of General Tito Karnavian could help create inter-faith harmony in the country.
"We are convinced the new police chief has a thorough knowledge of history and character of all religion in Indonesia and so could take part in developing inter-faith harmony," he said.
Meanwhile, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) installed Commissioner General Tito Karnavian to succeed General Badrodin Haiti as the new National Police chief on Wednesday.
The House of Representatives approved the nomination of Commissioner General Tito as the new National Police Chief at a plenary meeting held on June 27.
Tito, previously the chief of the National Counter-Terrorism Agency, joined the police academy in 1987 and had earlier held several posts, including that of the Jakarta Police chief and the head of the Special Detachment 88 counter-terrorism squad.
Born in Palembang, South Sumatra Province, on October 26, 1964, Tito graduated from the Exeter University in Great Britain and earned his masters degree in Police Studies in 1993, among others.
In 1998, Tito graduated from the Massey University in Auckland, New Zealand, with Strategic Studies as a major subject. Later, he earned his PhD from the Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, in Singapore in 2013.
Titos reputation began to grow during his term with the Polices Special Detachment 88, which succeeded in neutralizing notorious terrorist leaders, such as Azhari Husin and Noordin M. Top.
General Badrodin Haiti officially handed over his post as National Police Chief to General Tito Karnavian in a ceremony on Thursday morning.
Following the post-transfer, the Indonesian police will now be led by General Tito Karnavian. (*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2016
