Business welcome new Army base<\/p>\n
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post<\/p>\n
Business people have welcomed the Army's decision to move one of
\nits bases into the Jababeka industrial zone in Bekasi, West Java,
\nbut a noted expert cautioned that the military no longer has any
\nauthority in Indonesian civilian life.<\/p>\n
"We have to ensure that Jababeka is secure, and the presence
\nof military personnel guarantees that. They can deter people from
\ncarrying out crimes here," Jababeka president director Setyono
\nDjuandi Darmono said during the inauguration of the Jakarta's
\neastern army command (Makorem) headquarters at Jababeka, West
\nJava on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The headquarters, situated on 6.5 hectares of land, was
\nofficially opened by Jakarta military commander Maj. Gen.
\nAgustadi Sasongko Purnomo. The land and funds to build the new
\nheadquarters, valued at Rp 18.5 billion (US$1.95 million) were
\nprovided by the Jababeka City developer.<\/p>\n
Almost all prominent businesspeople in and around Jababeka
\nattended the inauguration ceremony.<\/p>\n
The Jababeka army headquarters is meant to replace the city's
\neastern Makorem currently located next to the Kampung Rambutan
\nbus station in East Jakarta. Agustadi said the old headquarters
\nwould later be used as a military intelligence office.<\/p>\n
Darmono said security was very important for the industrial
\nzone as businesspeople from 21 countries have invested in the
\narea.<\/p>\n
He claimed that even during the construction of the military
\noffice, Jababeka had increased its property sales because many
\nbusinesspeople thought that the presence of military personnel
\nwould create more conducive conditions for business.<\/p>\n
Darmono said Jababeka City would assist in building a police
\nprecinct in the area later on.<\/p>\n
Agustadi said that military personnel would help Jababeka deal
\nwith street thugs who have made many residents feel threatened.<\/p>\n
Businesspeople and residents have expressed concern over the
\nrising number of thugs asking for illegal fees going into and out
\nof several industrial zones in Bekasi.<\/p>\n
Noted criminologist from the University of Indonesia Adrianus
\nMeliala said Thursday that many people still thought that being
\nprotected by the military was better than police protection.<\/p>\n
"But they should know that the military has no authority or
\nrole in civilian life nowadays. They can't arrest criminals or
\ninvestigate cases," he told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.<\/p>\n
He added that the military was still trying hard to give the
\npublic the impression that they still had authority and important
\nroles in their daily life.<\/p>\n
Adrianus acknowledged, though, that police failure to prevent
\ncrime was probably one of the reasons why businesspeople have
\nturned to the military.<\/p>\n
City police spokesman Sr. Comr. Tjiptono denied the suggestion
\nthat the presence of a military command in an industrial area
\nproved that police had failed to do their job.<\/p>\n
"The military can move their command anywhere because they
\nhave their own strategic considerations. We will cooperate with
\nthem in securing the area," he told the Post.<\/p>\n
He said that police had a precinct and several subprecincts in
\nBekasi to protect the city and its industrial areas.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/business-welcome-new-army-base-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}