In addition to defense and security matters, the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) has created a new position, an economic deputy, to advise the agency on potential economic threats.
Newly appointed BIN chief Gen. (ret) Sutanto said the new position was intended to prevent any potential economic disasters that could threaten Indonesia’s sovereignty in the future.
“Besides the existing fields of defense and security, we are also obliged to prevent any economic catastrophes from occurring,” Sutanto told journalists Monday after a closed-door meeting with the House of Representatives’ Commission I overseeing defense, intelligence and foreign affairs.
“In the future, we will closely monitor places like the stock exchange and industrial centers.”
Monday’s meeting was Sutanto’s first public appearance as BIN chief. Previously he was the National Police chief before being replaced by Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri who was officiated on Sept. 30, 2008.
Sutanto began his law enforcement career in the elite police’s Mobile Brigade (Brimob).
Commenting on the meeting, lawmaker Ahmad Muzani from the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) said that what Sutanto had proposed to legislators was “pretty normative”.
He said one of the concepts Sutanto had discussed was the importance of building a “new intelligence face”.
“He proposed the concept of smart intelligence, which he claimed would see the agency cultivating a friendlier image without abandoning its professional duties,” Muzani said.
“He offered us a new perspective, including on how intelligence should be handled in the future, and what fields should be added to the BIN’s list.”
Muzani, however, said that Sutanto lacked real programs or proposals and therefore further meetings were necessary.
Tantowi Yahya, a lawmaker from Golkar, said Sutanto had also raised the issue of the legality of intelligence activities.
“Whether or not there should be an extension of authority for the intelligence agency was among issues discussed during the meeting,” he said.
Rachel Maryam, another House member from Gerindra, confirmed that the BIN had asked lawmakers to deliberate the state intelligence bill, including granting the institution more power.
“Apparently they need more authority to be able to perform better. Well let us see about that in future meetings,” she said.
To date, the intelligence body has been known only for its ability to gather evidence, rather than to arrest and question suspects.
According to a number of military and strategic analysts, this lack of authority has caused the intelligence agency to miss many potential problems in the country.
However, this analysis was opposed by human rights activists who claimed the agency already had sufficient power to serve the country.
Hendardi, chairman of the Setara Institute, said the failure of intelligence agencies to detect many potential problems was because it lacked skills and human resources.
“I strongly suggest the State Intelligence Agency assess its effectiveness instead of blaming others for its failures and mistakes,” he told The Jakarta Post recently.
“Therefore it is not necessary to extend the authority of the intelligence community.”
In a separate development, Sutanto evaded the question on the current dispute between the police and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) saying that “everyone should be held responsible for building a more constructive situation for all of us, and that includes the media”.
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