TNI official houses being rented out to third parties

TNI official houses being rented out to third parties

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung

Riouwstraat (now Jl. Riau/Jl. Martadinata) was known as an
upscale residential area during the Dutch colonial era, even
though there were several old buildings that functioned as
prisons to detain independence fighters. A section of it was
handed over to the Indonesian military (TNI) after the colonials
left and the TNI turned them into official residences, offices
and a hospital.

Even now, Jl. Riau has not lost any of its attraction. On
weekends and holidays, hundreds, if not thousands of people flock
to the area just to shop for cheap garments, shoes and dress
accessories at the so-called "factory outlets" (FOs), especially
at the corner of Jl. Riau and Jl. Banda, or to just dine out at
the many food courts and sidewalk cafes there.

The prominent street with the high land values has attracted
the attention of Perry Trisyanto, an entrepreneur who has 12 FOs
in Bandung, and who is eyeing it as a potential business area.

Perry owns four FOs on Jl. Riau. However, the good business
that he has been enjoying for the past three years may be coming
to an end. He says he was "confused" after the commander of the
Siliwangi Military Command overseeing West Java, Major General
Sriyanto Muntrasan, stated that the military would put "in order"
82 official military residences in Bandung and Cimahi that had
been rented out for commercial purposes by their ostensible
occupants.

Four of Perry's FOs on Jl. Riau are among the houses that have
been rented out by members of the military who have been entitled
to live there for free. "I'm not worried because I have written
agreements in black and white, sealed, and they are legally
valid," he asserted to The Jakarta Post in Bandung.

Perry said that he rented the houses from military officers,
their ranks ranging from lieutenant colonel to major general.

Despite this, Sriyanto, who was appointed as commander of the
Siliwangi Military Command III less than six months ago, said he
was determined to straighten out the matter of official houses
being rented out for private commercial gain.

"I have urged the occupants to use official houses in
accordance to their purpose," he said.

Sriyanto expressed sadness over the matter, because there were
many soldiers and officers who live in rented houses due to the
limited number of official residences, which were provided for
free. He likened the act of leasing official houses to third
parties to renting out official military vehicles as taxis.

Based on observations from a team from the Siliwangi Military
Command, most of the official houses are being rented out by
retired TNI members.

"They should have reported and returned the privilege to the
TNI at least six months after retiring because many active
members cannot afford to buy or rent houses," said Siliwangi
Military Command spokesman, Lieut. Col. Bambang.

Bambang said that the rules for occupying an official house
were clear, with permits having to be renewed every two years.
However, most failed to do this.

Meanwhile, Sriyanto is still mulling over the idea of seizing
official houses that are not being used in accordance with their
function, because TNI has limited funds to maintain them.