Terrorism has become the utmost threat to humanity today. The trend has raised anxiety and concern among the governing authority in various regions of the world (Tan, 2007). The authorities are tirelessly working seek to find measures to prevent attacks in their respective regions and ensure a provision of maximum security to the citizens. Malaysia is one of the world regions where terrorism is a top concern of the administration. Indeed, Malaysia is under threat of terrorism attacks owing to the ongoing fighting with the Islamic Militants in the Middle East (Crotty, 2005). However, Malaysia has enacted various counter-terrorism measures for detection and prevention purposes.
Without a doubt, Malaysia’s counter-terrorism measures are commendable. The region has not recorded any terrorist attack on its land of the same magnitude as the deadly 2002 bomb in Bali, Indonesia(, Wilson and Swati, 2005. One can attribute Malaysia’s success to the hard work and most of all, cooperation with the key players and neighboring regions. However, Malaysia faces a challenge of whether it shall keep the pace of the changes that the terrorists are using in carrying out the attacks today.
Use your promo and get a custom paper on
"Terrorism in Malaysia".
Additionally, Malaysian lawmakers recently passed a controversial anti-terrorism bill whose primary goal is to deal with the menace from the Islamic extremists. Through the bill, Malaysia’s authorities can detect terrorism suspects without trial. However, the human rights groups have criticized the bill terming it as a “giant step backwards for human rights”(BBC News, n.d ). Under the legislation, Malaysia government can arrest and put in detention any terrorist suspect for a period of two years. Furthermore, the terrorist suspects can be put on detention for more years pending investigation.
Today, terrorism remains to be the greatest global concern. It is a threat that calls for extra efforts and enormous coordination between all stakeholders. Although Malaysia’s counter-measures seem commendable, the country needs to revise its visa policies as they can act as loopholes where people involved in illicit activities can gain entry to the region.
- Crotty, William J. 2005. Democratic development and political terrorism: the global perspective. Boston: Northeastern University Press.
- International Workshop on International Terrorism in Southeast Asia and its Likely Implications for South Asia, Wilson John, and Swati Parashar. 2005. Terrorism in Southeast Asia: implications for South Asia. Delhi, India: Pearson Education (Singapore), Indian Branch.
- “Malaysia Passes Controversial Anti-terror Bill.” BBC News. Accessed April 13, 2015. http://www.bbc.com
- Tan, Andrew T. H. 2007. A handbook of terrorism and insurgency in Southeast Asia. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar. http://site.ebrary.com/
