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.