Business welcome new Army base
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post
Business people have welcomed the Army's decision to move one of its bases into the Jababeka industrial zone in Bekasi, West Java, but a noted expert cautioned that the military no longer has any authority in Indonesian civilian life.
"We have to ensure that Jababeka is secure, and the presence of military personnel guarantees that. They can deter people from carrying out crimes here," Jababeka president director Setyono Djuandi Darmono said during the inauguration of the Jakarta's eastern army command (Makorem) headquarters at Jababeka, West Java on Wednesday.
The headquarters, situated on 6.5 hectares of land, was officially opened by Jakarta military commander Maj. Gen. Agustadi Sasongko Purnomo. The land and funds to build the new headquarters, valued at Rp 18.5 billion (US$1.95 million) were provided by the Jababeka City developer.
Almost all prominent businesspeople in and around Jababeka attended the inauguration ceremony.
The Jababeka army headquarters is meant to replace the city's eastern Makorem currently located next to the Kampung Rambutan bus station in East Jakarta. Agustadi said the old headquarters would later be used as a military intelligence office.
Darmono said security was very important for the industrial zone as businesspeople from 21 countries have invested in the area.
He claimed that even during the construction of the military office, Jababeka had increased its property sales because many businesspeople thought that the presence of military personnel would create more conducive conditions for business.
Darmono said Jababeka City would assist in building a police precinct in the area later on.
Agustadi said that military personnel would help Jababeka deal with street thugs who have made many residents feel threatened.
Businesspeople and residents have expressed concern over the rising number of thugs asking for illegal fees going into and out of several industrial zones in Bekasi.
Noted criminologist from the University of Indonesia Adrianus Meliala said Thursday that many people still thought that being protected by the military was better than police protection.
"But they should know that the military has no authority or role in civilian life nowadays. They can't arrest criminals or investigate cases," he told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
He added that the military was still trying hard to give the public the impression that they still had authority and important roles in their daily life.
Adrianus acknowledged, though, that police failure to prevent crime was probably one of the reasons why businesspeople have turned to the military.
City police spokesman Sr. Comr. Tjiptono denied the suggestion that the presence of a military command in an industrial area proved that police had failed to do their job.
"The military can move their command anywhere because they have their own strategic considerations. We will cooperate with them in securing the area," he told the Post.
He said that police had a precinct and several subprecincts in Bekasi to protect the city and its industrial areas.