Ministry aims for four-point ‘pro-welfare’ system

The Defense Ministry has set a four-point defense policy dubbed the “pro-welfare state defense system” for the 2010 fiscal year.

Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said the first point was “optimizing the formulation and implementation of various regulations and policies on state defense”.

“The regulations include the 2002 State Defense Law and 2004 Indonesian Military [TNI] Law.”

Purnomo was addressing a press conference after opening a leadership meeting attended by ministry officials.

The meeting was also attended by TNI chief Gen. Djoko Santoso, Navy Chief of Staff Vice Adm. Agus Suhartono, Air Force Chief of Staff Vice Marshal Imam Sufaat and Army Deputy Chief of Staff. Lt. Gen. Suryo Prabowo.

“The second point is intensifying defense industry roles for national economic strength to support TNI and other government agencies, as well as to supply foreign markets,” Purnomo said.

The minister also called for the solidity and cooperation between his ministry and other ministries and agencies to achieve state defense missions.

“We are also developing patterns on the management of border areas and outlying islands,” Purnomo said.

He also said 2010 was the start of the 2010-2014 mid-term development plan facing various threats and challenges calling for policies on strategies, budgeting, human resources, legislation, facilities and infrastructure, and the management of defense potential.

The detailed policies included, among other things, the Minimum Essential Force, bureaucratic reform, defense industries, international cooperation, military business hand overs and the Indonesian Defense University.

Evaluating 2009, Purnomo said the defense ministry managed to absorb 100 percent of its budget compared to 90 percent in 2009 and the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) had updated its opinion from “disclaimer” to “qualified”.

Purnomo said his ministry and the TNI was responsible for upholding state sovereignty, its territorial integrity and state safety.

“We are monitoring the limits of state safety because it incorporates a broad spectrum, from military to non-military,” he said.

“Non-military threats, in the mid-term, can be in the form of ideologies or politics.”

As for border areas, Purnomo said there were three conditions.

“First, we have yet to finish border negotiations with neighboring countries,” he said.

“Second, we have set the borders but are facing monitoring problems.

“Third, we have to monitor border-crossing posts.”

Purnomo pointed to the recently established National Border Management Agency led by the home affairs minister.

“The agency is managing border areas from a defense and socio-economic perspective,” he said.

“In fact, most problems are socio-economic.”

He cited the border along Papua province and Papua New Guinea (PNG) where the condition is much more stable on the Indonesian side.

“Recently a number of Papuans were repatriated from PNG because they did not live better in PNG,” 
he said.

The Indonesia-PNG land border continues for about 760 kilometers.

The land border between Indonesia and Malaysia runs for 2,004 kilometers. Another land border exists between Indonesia and East Timor, stretching 388 kilometers.

First published on The Jakarta Post on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2010

Wed, 01/13/2010 9:32 AM