Legislators criticize Juwono over Ambalat disclosure

Legislators criticize Juwono over Ambalat disclosure

Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Several legislators criticized Minister of Defense Juwono
Sudarsono for publicly announcing the results of what were meant
to be confidential talks on financial preparations for possible
military operations in an ongoing border dispute with Malaysia.

Members of House of Representatives Commission I for defense
and foreign affairs said on Tuesday the minister's actions could
jeopardize negotiations between the two countries.

"War is the very last option. The discussions were supposed to
be a confidential because they could damage the peaceful
diplomatic talks we are currently involved in," legislator Happy
Bone Zulkarnaen said.

Juwono told journalists last week that the government and the
House were preparing Rp 5.4 trillion (US$580.64 million) to
finance military operations to defend the Ambalat offshore oil
block in the Sulawesi Sea, which is claimed by both Indonesia and
Malaysia.

Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur recently concluded a first round of
talks to resolve the dispute over the oil block, with further
talks scheduled for May.

Happy said that the figure mentioned by Juwono was not the one
proposed to the House, but that it was still wrong of the
minister to disclose confidential information, even if it was
incorrect.

The lawmaker then announced that the budget proposed to the
House for possible military operations was Rp 23 trillion for a
six-month-long war.

The legislators also regretted the government's failure to
report to or consult with the House before its earlier deployment
of soldiers and military equipment to Ambalat.

"Although such deployments are the right of the President, it
is stipulated in Law No. 34/2004 on the Indonesian Military that
any deployments should be reported to the House within 48 hours,"
legislator Effendi Choirie said.

The government has deployed more than 8,800 soldiers, military
vehicles and other equipment to the area around Ambalat.

"We have met with the House speaker (Agung Laksono) to discuss
this, and we have scheduled a consultative meeting with the
government for some time this week," Effendi said.