TNI told to seek non-U.S. military aid<\/p>\n
Dadan Wijaksana and Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Legislators recommended on Monday that the Indonesian Military
\n(TNI) maintain the nation's dignity and sovereignty by seeking
\nother sources of military aid to end dependency on the U.S. and
\nto curb the resulting U.S. interference in Indonesia's affairs.<\/p>\n
The recommendation was made during a hearing between House
\nCommission I on security affairs and TNI Chief Gen. Endriartono
\nSutarto.<\/p>\n
\"The TNI must start looking for other sources of military
\ncooperation,\" legislator Amris Hassan of the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) said after the
\nhearing.<\/p>\n
\"Too much dependency on the U.S. has resulted in (U.S.)
\ninterference,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Effendi Choirie, a member of the National Awakening Party
\n(PKB) faction, concurred, citing the U.S. demand for Indonesia's
\ncooperation in the former's campaign against global terrorism was
\na form of \"excessive interference\" in order to guarantee military
\naid from the U.S.<\/p>\n
Effendi also demanded that TNI abandon its plan to dispatch a
\nnumber of Indonesian middle-ranking officers to attend short
\nmilitary courses in the U.S.<\/p>\n
The TNI planned to send five officers to the U.S. to undergo a
\n15-month training at the Naval post-graduate school in
\nCalifornia, which was slated to begin this month. The course is a
\ncounter-terrorism fellowship program hosted by the U.S.<\/p>\n
The legislators' call came amidst renewed pressure from a
\nnumber of U.S. congressmen for Washington to reverse a recent
\nSenate decision to restore the International Military Education
\nand Training (IMET) funding for Indonesia, citing continued human
\nrights violations by the military.<\/p>\n
The U.S. suspended the ties with TNI in 1999 following TNI-
\nbacked violence in East Timor after the former Indonesian
\nprovince voted for independence. The cooperation scheme through
\nIMET resumed only recently when the Senate Appropriations
\nCommittee voted to provide US$400,000 to help Indonesia wage war
\non terrorism.<\/p>\n
\"Britain is willing to help and it does not seem to be as
\ndemanding as the U.S.,\" said Effendi.<\/p>\n
Other than Britain, the legislators failed to name other
\ncountries with whom TNI could cooperate as an alternative to the
\nU.S.<\/p>\n
Endriartono, too, failed to present a clear-cut solution to
\nthe proposal that could mean sidelining the U.S.<\/p>\n
When asked whether TNI needed to start forging military ties
\nwith other countries, he said diplomatically: \"Working with other
\ncountries in the military field is important.\"<\/p>\n
He rejected allegations that the TNI was bowing to American
\nwishes. \"We always position ourselves on the same level with
\nthose giving us aid, including in our relations with the U.S.\"<\/p>\n
\"If we deem it as too domineering, we are against it,\" he
\nadded.<\/p>\n
Military observer Ikrar Nusa Bhakti from the Indonesian
\nInstitute of Sciences (LIPI), when contacted by The Jakarta Post
\nseparately, doubted Indonesia's ability to forgo its military
\ndependency on the U.S.<\/p>\n
\"Indonesia's military arsenals, be they light or heavy, mostly
\ncome from the U.S. The government, during (President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri's) recent whirlwind tour of some countries, was
\nseen trying to diversify the weaponry.<\/p>\n
\"The question is whether we can buy military equipment in
\ncash. Do other countries provide credit export facilities as the
\nU.S. does?\" said Ikrar.<\/p>\n
While admitting that the U.S. had been too demanding on
\nIndonesia, Ikrar said the U.S. attitude was understandable.<\/p>\n
\"It's a logical consequence of our dependency on
\n(Washington's) aid.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/tni-told-to-seek-non-us-military-aid-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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