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.