Ministry probes Riau warship deal

Ministry probes Riau warship deal

A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Ministry of Home Affairs is investigating a deal between the
Riau provincial administration and the Indonesian Navy's Western
Fleet on the purchase of a warship, a high-ranking government
official says.

Spokesman of the home ministry I Nyoman Sumaryadi said on
Monday that his office would not hesitate in voiding the deal if
it violated any existing laws.

He was commenting on a controversial purchase of a warship by
the Riau administration last week, the first time a regional
government was ever involved in the purchase of weaponry.

The warship, KAL 35, is produced by local ship maker PT
Pelindo Tanjung Pinang, and costs Rp 12.8 billion (US$1.6
million).

Under legal ownership of Riau, the warship would be operated
by the Navy's Western Fleet to safeguard Riau's waters from
smuggling and any other threats to the country's sovereignty.

It is thought the Western Fleet, which is in dire need of
warships to supplement its fleet, supported the purchase of the
warship.

The deal came under public scrutiny after military analysts
expressed concern over it.

According to analysts, including military observer M.T.
Arifin, the deal had procedural flaws and violated Law No. 3/2002
on state defense and Law No. 22/2000 on regional administration,
also known as the Regional Autonomy Law.

Article 10 of Law No. 22/2000 allows regional governments to
assist security personnel in improving their facilities and
equipment, including the procurement of arms.

Any assistance to security personnel, however, should be
channeled through the central government.

Article 25 of Law No. 3/2002 stipulates that national defense
is financed by the state budget.

Arifin said, in giving the Navy direct monetary assistance the
regional government of Riau had bypassed the central government,
which was a blatant violation of the law.

Under the new National Defense Law, only the Ministry of
Defense has the authority to purchase military equipment, with
the money to be provided from the state budget.

The House is currently investigating the government's decision
in April to buy four Russian-made jet fighters -- two Sukhoi-27
and two Sukhoi-30 -- in a countertrade deal that bypassed not
only the House, but also the defense ministry.

Although the investigation remains open and unresolved, two of
the Sukhoi jet fighters has already arrived in Indonesia, with
the government preparing to send its first payment to Russia in
the form of goods and products.