40 percent of military housing in bad state

Leo Wahyudi S., The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Some 40 percent of military housing in Jakarta is in poor condition, but the military does not have the funds for renovations, a senior military officer said on Friday.

Jakarta Military Commander Maj. Gen. Bibit Waluyo made the statement after a groundbreaking ceremony for a complex that will house Air Force personnel in Bintaro, South Jakarta.

Currently, there are about 4,900 soldiers in Jakarta, grouped in seven battalions. Many of the soldiers must find their own housing because there are not enough dormitories to accommodate them. Soldiers have to rent houses for between Rp 150,000 and Rp 350,000 per month, he said.

Bibit said the Air Force housing complex would cost about Rp 7.5 billion, with the money coming from the Rp 30 billion in aid recently provided by President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Each of the military forces -- the Army, Navy, Air Force, as well as the police, will receive some Rp 7.5 billion to renovate or build new housing.

The presidential aid, which came from nonbudgetary funds, sparked controversy after the House of Representatives questioned the source of the money.

But Bibit commended the President for providing the military with the funds. "We thank the President for giving us the money. I think it is shameful that there was a public debate about the funds."

Separately, the National Police's elite squad, the Mobile Brigade, under the Jakarta Police, reportedly will use its share of the Rp 7.5 billion to build 1,000 small apartments in Kwitang, Central Jakarta.