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.