Mega defends Sukhoi deal, warns of foreign threats
Mega defends Sukhoi deal, warns of foreign threats
A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
resident Megawati Soekarnoputri defended on Friday the
controversial purchase of Sukhoi jet fighters from Russia, saying
that military procurement was necessary to help the government
protect the country's sovereignty, which had been put to the test
on several occasions recently.
In her speech at the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR)
Annual Meeting, Megawati admitted that the government was quite
helpless in the face of such threats against Indonesia's
sovereignty.
"(Our statement of) protest, concern, or whatever it was, was
our only defense and yet there is no guarantee that similar
incidents will not occur in the future," she lamented.
Indonesia protested what it considered to be the U.S.
government's violation of its air space by five U.S. F-18 Hornet
jets over Bawean Island in East Java. The five U.S. jets
performed maneuvers for more than two hours on July 3.
Given these circumstances, the government wanted to purchase
military equipment from a number of countries, said Megawati.
"But purchasing military equipment has its own problems, such
as the embargo imposed by the United States," she added.
The President also cited as threats to the country's
sovereignty the loss of the Sipadan and Ligitan islands in East
Kalimantan to Malaysia and the illegal exploitation of Indonesian
sea resources, including illegal fishing, by foreign parties.
"These two examples have given us a precious lesson: that we
need a strong defense system," said Megawati.
The Sipadan and Ligitan islands sparked a territorial issue
with neighboring country Malaysia a few months ago. The islands,
which lie along a shared border, were declared Malaysian
territory by the International Court of Justice because of the
country's development efforts there.
She said it was time for Indonesia to have a strong defense
system, including a national surveillance system. The
surveillance system should cover the sea, land and air and small
and big islands in remote areas.
Megawati took the opportunity to defend the Sukhoi deal, which
she said was corruption-free and had been administered properly.
The purchase of four Sukhoi jet fighters and two assault
helicopters from Russia, worth US$192.6 million, was made
possible through counter-trade with Russia by the Ministry of
Industry and Trade, she said.
The jet fighters and the helicopters will arrive in Indonesia
in September this year.
Critics say that the Ministry of Defense is the only
institution authorized to make military purchases.
But Megawati said that the counter-trade had followed correct
procedure. However, she admitted it had not been adequately
regulated within the budget system.
It was the first time that Megawati had publicly defended the
Sukhoi deal.