House looks set to support rise in defense budget

JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives' Commission I, which oversees foreign affairs, defense and security, looks set to support an increase in the national defense budget to around 2 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

"The House will work hard to seek other areas and sources from the 2001 draft state budget to help increase the defense budget by around two percent of the country's 2001 GDP," commission chairman Yasril Ananta Baharuddin told journalists here on Tuesday after a closed door meeting with Maj. Gen. Gofur Suwarno, director general for planning and budget at the defense ministry.

Accompanying Gofur were Maj. Gen. Purwadi, assistant to Indonesian Military chief on general planning and chiefs of planning and budget departments in the Army, Navy and Air Force.

Yasril said the commission regards the allocated amount in the draft 2001 budget too small.

"If we want the military and police to be professional they should be given an adequate budget," he said, citing that Indonesia had the lowest defense budget among neighboring southeast Asian states who averaged about 2 percent of their GDP.

Yasril pointed out that the draft budget only allocated 1.2 percent of the GDP to defense.

Yasril said the commission would schedule a meeting with fellow legislators from Commission IX on finance and state budget, to seek additional sources of funds so the defense budget can be boosted.

The government earlier this month submitted the 2001 draft state budget which proposes to allocate Rp 2.135 trillion for the defense budget.

This includes funding for both the military and police.

The current budget, which runs for nine-months, allocated Rp 1.88 trillion.

Yasril insisted that the commission's intention to increase the defense budget was not aimed at beefing the national arsenal but at improving professionalism along with better maintenance of the current equipment.

"Neighboring countries should not be suspect of the House's commitment (to increase the defense budget), because we do not intend to expand our military force but rather to support improvement in the military's professionalism," he said.

Yasril claimed that the commission has also asked the military to minimize its participation in various businesses ventures to allow it more time to focus on its defense function.

Yasril also pointed out that the unstable security condition in the country is also related to the limited number of police personnel and equipment.

"The number of police personnel must be increased and their equipment must be modernized to allow them to be able to maintain security and order," he said, adding that 230,000 Police personnel were not able to protect a population of 210 million. (rms)