Anticipating Radicalism, BNPT Asks New Students To Avoid Hateful Recitation Groups

Residents pass near a banner against terrorists in the Jl Malioboro area, Yogyakarta, May 2018. (ANTARA-Andreas Fitri A)

PADANG - The National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) reminded high school/vocational high school graduates who continue their education to become university students to control themselves from exposure to radicalism, usually emerging from recitation groups that instill a sense of hatred.

"New students must be brave and make the campus name proud while maintaining the integrity of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia," said Director of Deradicalization of BNPT Irfan Idris in Padang, West Sumatra (Sumbar), Tuesday, August 16.

He said this was at the Introduction to Campus Life for New Students (PKKMB) Unand 2022 with the theme "Grow a Sense of Nationality and Love for the Homeland, Prevent Radicalism and Terrorism".

According to him, almost every campus has a recitation group that instills hatred and hostility, always blaming the policies of the government, the chancellor, and the dean with religious interpretations.

"This is what needs to be watched out for so as not to get carried away by the current," he said, according to Antara.

He reminded that the characteristics of radicalism include rejecting Pancasila. "In fact, Pancasila is the state ideology that was born by the nation's founders and cannot be replaced," he said.

Then another characteristic of radicalism, he said, was to reject the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia and since Indonesia was proclaimed there have been groups who wanted to replace it with a religious state.

Therefore, he said, all parties play a role in defending the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia so that radical groups cannot brainwash the new students.

According to him, every new academic year radical groups spread across all campuses to target the younger generation.

"Based on various studies, more than half of those exposed to radicalism are the younger generation, so new students need to be vigilant," he said.

He reminded the younger generation to continue the struggle of the nation's founders by studying seriously with all scientific disciplines.

He warned not to easily accuse someone of a terrorist from clothes. "You can't say who wears shorts or wears a terrorist veil because that is a choice of clothing," he said.

Meanwhile, the Chancellor of Unand Prof. Yuliandri said that the 2022 new students were the best people from the intense competition among prospective Andalas University students for the 2022/2023 academic year.

Therefore, he said, students should be grateful for seriously studying and knitting the future.

He reminded that the freedom that exists on campus is academic freedom and the academic pulpit, not freedom that is defined according to one's own thoughts.

"Through a good understanding of this, as a student, we can achieve success and success in learning and achieve brilliantly," he said.