BNPT: Millennials Target Radical Indoctrination

Lt. Col. Harianto delivered his remarks during the FKPT-BNPT Children's Music Festival (Asik Bang) action, at the Sheraton Hotel, Makassar, South Sulawesi, Thursday (17/3/20220. ANTARA/Darwin Fatir

MAKASSAR - Head of Sub-Directorate for Asia Pacific and Africa Cooperation, National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) Lt. Col. Harianto revealed that millennials are very vulnerable to being indoctrinated with radical ideas through social media.

"Young people today are very easy to get affiliated with, and because they use social media wrong," said Harianto on the sidelines of the FKPT-BNPT Children's Music Festival (Asik Bang) action, at the Sheraton Hotel, Makassar, South Sulawesi, as reported by Antara, Thursday, March 17th.

He said that young people are also very easily exposed to radicalism that leads to acts of terrorism. For this reason, he emphasized that through this musical activity, it aims to be part of the preventive action.

"Through this touch, we invite all elements both in the formal, informal and non-formal education environment, education in the family, in schools, in Islamic boarding schools and also the community to be able to synergize in preventing terrorism," he also said.

According to Harianto, teenagers and young people in their productive age are very vulnerable to being exposed to radical ideas, considering that their psychology is still unstable and they are quite easily influenced by the perpetrators of anything.

"Whether we admit it or not, psychologically, teenagers have a level of psychological development, this is where the vulnerability is. Some of us are millennials, some are generation Z, this is where we should be wary," he said again.

The young generation, he said, would become the target of perpetrators to indoctrinate deviant notions, considering that psychologically and socially and others they are still vulnerable to it.

"Let's protect our brothers and sisters from those efforts (radicalization) that can be influenced. We must be agents, positive influencers to be able to voice as a preventive action against terrorism," he stressed. On that occasion Bakry said, through this activity, it is hoped that the young generation of Indonesia will have national values.

"So music is a means to achieve one of the goals we want. As we are doing this, so that the children of our nation do not forget the importance of the state, about the importance of nationality, unity and diversity," he said.

The secretary of the MUI in South Sulawesi added that teenagers are very vulnerable to being influenced by radical ideas. If you look at terrorist acts, the perpetrators are not aged 40-50 and over. But those who carry out anarchic actions related to radical extreme terrorists are young people of productive age.