TNI told on to be more accountable

TNI told on to be more accountable

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The days when national security depends on funds from obscure
sources should be brought to an end, legislators and analysts
said.

They urged the Indonesian Military (TNI) to get accountable
and make its budget transparent.

Legislator Aberson Marle Sihaloho of the Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) said the military's
involvement in business was unacceptable.

"I say they should quit their businesses," Aberson, a member
of the House of Representatives' budget committee, said over the
weekend.

"Our principle is that there should not be any non-budgetary
funds," Aberson asserted.

By enforcing proper bookkeeping in the military's businesses,
the government could help reduce the likelihood of the funds
being misused.

But heeding these calls is not a viable option, according to
military officers, as long as the funds allocated from the state
budget remained meager.

Under the 2002 state budget, the TNI was allotted Rp 9.5
trillion, of which figure 75 percent was intended to pay
soldiers' wages. Maintenance is currently bearing the brunt of
the shortfall in funds.

According to TNI data, some 70 percent of the Navy's 117 ships
are tied up while 65 percent of the Air Force's 220 aircraft are
grounded.

TNI spokesman Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin had said earlier
that budget constraints were costing the TNI its mobility. The
consequences were a slow response to sudden security threats. The
TNI was already shipping its troops to conflict zones instead of
flying them, he said.

Analysts claim that the TNI could reduce its budgetary
constraints through its businesses, which are run by foundations
the TNI owns.

Demands for the military to relinquish its business empire
have been around for some time.

Military officials have said that business revenues and other
sources of income account for about 70 percent of their budget.

Sjafrie, however, refuted this notion, saying the TNI's
foundations were too small to finance military operations.

"The foundations can support our soldiers' well-being, and
provide scholarships and emergency funds," he explained.

He said that the proceeds from the TNI foundations were
relatively small compared to what the TNI received from the state
budget.

"We shouldn't have non-budgetary funds anymore, and this
includes the TNI," said former President Abdurrahman Wahid at an
economics seminar on Saturday.

Abdurrahman has been a staunch backer of reforms in the TNI,
which eventually cost him the support of key military officers.
He was ousted from office last July following the evaporation of
his support from political parties and the TNI.

Aberson said that in spite of his urging the military to quit
business, the House appeared to tolerate the TNI foundations. "I
don't think the others in the House are paying much heed to my
suggestion," Aberson admitted.

Djoko Susilo of the Reform faction agreed that the military
must be held accountable for all the money it managed.

"How else can we be sure the funds they claim are intended to
improve soldiers' lives doesn't get swindled by the generals?" he
asked.

Military observer Kusnanto Anggoro suggested that the
government take over the military businesses and privatize them.

"It's just too dangerous to have a military that is
financially independent of the state," he said.