Indonesia's fragile defense

Indonesia's fragile defense

From Koran Tempo

The Indonesia-Malaysia border dispute over the Ambalat oil block off East Kalimantan should be given serious attention, but it is not enough for the nation to only mobilize militia volunteers against Malaysia.

We should honestly acknowledge the fact that the country's Navy and Air Force capacity is behind that of Malaysia. The recent tsunami disaster in Aceh showed the limitations of both forces in carrying out rescue operations. We needed the aid of helicopters from the U.S., Singapore and other nations to reach tsunami victims.

Indonesian warships, for instance, according to former Navy chief of staff Bernard Kent Sondakh, required some four days to sail from the Jakarta port of Tanjung Priok to the coast of Banda Aceh. Only about six of the 38 Hercules aircraft can fly due to the U.S. arms embargo, while the new Sukhois from Russia are not yet armed.

It is not surprising that Malaysia has been bold enough to launch various air and sea maneuvers in Indonesian waters. The New Order regime is to blame for marginalizing the country's air and sea defense forces while focusing only on the Army. In fact, most modern concepts of land combat require a combination of modern air and sea war machines to provide crucial support.

However, there is still hope for the nation. As the tsunami disaster has indicated, Indonesians are actually ready to sacrifice for the victims in Aceh. So, why don't we raise funds to enhance our national defense? This will happen after the eradication of graft practices in arms purchasing, which hampers public support for arms procurement.

EKO SUPRIYANTO Jakarta