It is hard to believe how many disasters keep hitting the Indonesian Military (TNI). On April 6, a military-owned Fokker-27 slammed into an airport hangar in Bandung, West Java, killing six crew and 24 soldiers during a training mission. On May 20, we mourned when a C-130 Hercules military aircraft crashed in Magetan, East Java, killing more than 100 people on board. On June 8, an army helicopter crashed and killed three officers. Four days later, on June 12, another air force helicopter went down, killing four officers and injuring 3 others.
As usual, the accidents quickly sparked heated debates among parliamentarians, government officials, experts, and military officers themselves. Various explanations were given, even before the official and technical investigations began. As these accidents occurred during the presidential campaigns, the blaming game among the candidates has also colored the debate. Do we then know what really happened? Do all the comments and reactions explain the causes of the accidents? Unfortunately, they raise more questions than answers.
We might never know what really caused these accidents. Yet, the ensuing debates clearly point to some mystery surrounding how our defense forces have been run and maintained. This can be inferred from various explanations given, which have unfortunately varied a lot and even been contradictory.
Parliamentarians and politicians were quick to point out that the inadequate defense budget was to blame. Djoko Susilo of the National Mandate Party (PAN), for example, explained that the defense budget is only 20 percent of the total ideal budget. Yusron Ihza Mahendra of the House of Representatives' Commission I on Defense and Foreign Policy also made similar arguments. This view is also shared by experts and defense analysts (The Jakarta Post, May 22, 2009).
Military officers blamed bad weather for the accidents. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Agustadi Sasongko Purnomo, for example, stated the accidents were not caused by insufficient budget. He pointed to possible human errors as the reason. Other officers also argued most of the aircraft were still airworthy.
Interestingly, top government leaders themselves offered different explanations. Vice President Jusuf Kalla blamed the limited defense budget as the main factor behind the accidents. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) refuted such opinions. He argued that the government has only cut the budget for procurement of new equipment, but that routine spending for maintenance was still as usual. Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono, however, disagreed with his boss and insisted that there was not enough money in the budget to properly maintain the military's aging fleet or to train personnel (The Jakarta Post, June 13, 2009).
So, who should we believe, and whose explanation is correct? The President, Vice-President, minister of defense, or parliamentarians? We might not know the whole story. Similar problems have often happened in the past, and until today we are still guessing. That is why Lt. Gen. (ret) Agus Widjojo called on the TNI to be transparent in investigating the causes of these accidents. Without such transparency, we would not be able to find the correct solutions to the problems.
Whatever the real reasons behind the accidents, it is clear that we need to take drastic measures to overhaul the whole defense system. This can no longer wait. What is at stake is the image and pride of Indonesia as the largest country in Southeast Asia. We are facing enormous defense and security challenges. We often talk about the sacred duties involved in safeguarding national sovereignty, maintaining territorial integrity and combating non-traditional threats, alongside the main objectives of our national defense.
How can the TNI undertake such difficult tasks if their aircraft keep crashing, and their weapon systems and equipment are outdated? How can we talk about defending our sovereignty and maintaining territorial integrity if the TNI cannot even be sure whether it can transport its own personnel safely? Is it reasonable to expect that foreign vessels and aircraft would not dare to infiltrate our territory, or would they conclude they could do so with impunity?
The first step towards the resolution of our defense problems is for the government to once again undertake a serious, comprehensive, complete and verifiable strategic defense review (SDR). That review should cover not only the hardware side of defense system such as weaponry and other equipment, but also the software side of defense, including defense policy, planning, programming and budgeting systems (PPB), human resources, education and training, and welfare.
The Ministry of Defense supposedly did an urgently needed SDR during 2003-2004. But, it does not seem to have had any effect on how our defense is run and maintained. The same old problems persist. Therefore, if we are serious, the President needs to take charge of this SDR himself, and not leave it to the military alone. Otherwise, no one can take our capability to defend our own country seriously.
The writer is executive director at the Centre for Strategic and International
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