The execution of the Bali bombers in Indonesia has been an extremely significant event. It has thrust Indonesia into the forefront of the ‘war on terror’.

It has demonstrated that fighting terrorism can be done without having to dispense with the rule of law. It has shown that fighting terrorism can be done in a civilised manner without resorting to abuses of human rights.

Indonesia has shown the world the right modus operandi in tackling the terrorism menace. The Bali bombers in Indonesia were tried in an open civilian court and given the right to legal representation and a fair trial.

So why do some countries need to try terrorists in secret military courts using evidence which cannot be challenged in normal courts including the use of evidence obtained under torture? Indonesia also did not have to use preventive detention laws which allow for detention without trial for long periods of time.

In Malaysia, for example, the government had claimed that the Hindu group Hindraf has ties with militant groups such as Sri Lanka’s Tamil Eelam. Thus, it claims that it is justified in detaining them without trial because they pose a threat to the country.

Sadly, Malaysia's position was further strengthened by the use of preventive detention measures in the West such as the Guantanamo Bay detention facility of the US as well as the Belmarsh detention facility in the UK.

Well not any more. Indonesia has managed to tacke its threat of terrorism without having to bypass the country's legal system.

There is no question that Indonesia is winning the war on terror. Indonesia has been careful to win the hearts and minds of its people.

Unlike in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq, where aerial bombing is frequently used against suspected terrorists, Indonesia had made sure that it would not incur any collateral damage (civilian casualties) in its apprehension of terror suspects.

Indonesia had also pinpointed its terror suspects and ensured that no civilians died in the crossfire.

The fact that Indonesia was able to wage war on terrorists without having to resort to preventive detention laws such as the ISA, (which is used in Malaysia), as well as without the unnecessary killing of civilian bystanders has proven the world wrong.

International law and human rights will always reign supreme. No situation, no matter how dire, can warrant the use of extraordinary measures that take away our God-given rights to life, freedom and dignity and especially the right to a fair trial.

The execution of the Bali bombers has implications for us - get rid of the ISA. We don't need it to fight terrorists or militants.