Heated debate over Leopard tanks could jeopardize Army’s image: Expert

An expert on military affairs says the recent heated debate between senior officers in the Army and lawmakers from the House of Representatives' security commission, over the Army’s intention to buy the German-made Leopard Main Battle Tank (MBT),could jeopardize the Army’s image in the future.

“The army should channel its aspirations through the Defense Ministry and let the ministry do the talking with these lawmakers. The Army should have known better than to deal directly with the lawmakers and, in so doing, jump into the political arena; it is something that the Army shouldn’t do,” Mufti Makarim from the Institute for Defense and Peace Studies (IDPS) told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

He said battling to acquire the ideal weaponry system wasn’t a taboo as long as it was conducted by those who had the requisite authority.

Army chief of staff Gen. Pramono Edhie Wibowo earlier stated that the Leopard tanks best represented the army’s need. He also said that the tanks could improve the image of the Army in the eyes of its allies.

Lawmaker Tubagus Hasanuddin from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said that more discussions were still needed before they could reach a final decision over what equipment the Army should buy to reinforce their main weaponry system.

The Army had been allocated US$280 million to buy 100 used Leopard tanks from the Netherlands this year. However, this plan was opposed by both the Indonesian and Dutch governments for various reasons.

The Indonesian House stated that the Leopard didn’t fit the country’s geographical conditions, while their Dutch counterparts expressed their concerns that the tanks would be used by the Indonesian Army, which from their perspective, was still closely associated with human right violations.