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pril 07, Online

The Army and Surya University are working together to develop 15 weapon technologies to reduce dependency on other countries for weapon acquisitions.

Army chief of staff Gen. Budiman said the weapon development started six months ago and included nano-satellite, gyrocopter, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or drone, laser-based firing simulation and GPS tracking system or automatic packet reporting system (APRS) technologies.

Your comments:

It may take many more years for Indonesia to get due respect from the Western world and mighty China, but I am sure it will come once we say '€œwe have weapons'€ and Westerners will no longer laugh at us but instead pray that this country will remain rational. In the meantime, the Army should learn how to keep its mouth shut and just keep working.

The good news for me is not about the weapon technology but more about Surya University, through which Indonesia has shined at the International Physic Olympiad. Because of Yohanes Surya, the Indonesian team has won 54 gold medals, 33 silver medals and 42 bronze medals at various international science and physics competitions since his involvement.

As an Indonesian, I have the highest respect for Pak Yohanes and people like former president BJ Habibie. He chose to live nicely in the Western world and instead of complaining about all that is wrong in Indonesia and doing nothing about it, he chose to come back and do something for this country. He is a modern hero whom young Indonesian should look up to.

The fact that our government has started paying attention and facilitating bright Indonesian minds is also good news.

We have all the ingredients to be great, but unfortunately this country is run by mostly incompetent leaders and second- and third-rate intellectuals because the best talent has chosen different lives or just don'€™t care.

Gatot Santoso Wibowo

 From how I read it, the spirit of this is to substitute imported technology for locally made technology. The aim is not to invent some super high-end, sophisticated and entirely new technology that we may not have the capability to develop or produce.

Nationalism? Perhaps. Economic reasons? It may be that, too. Instead of buying the technology at a high price, we will try to develop it ourselves. Who knows, in the future we may invent something new.

The Chinese, Koreans and Japanese also developed their technology by copying from more advanced countries.

Copy first, then learn to make better, similar products. Adapt it to our nation'€™s needs. Create our own version of it. Then we develop something from the experience. It'€™s not a bad idea.

Every nation copies and develops its own technology at the same time. Who first created fighter jets?
Soon after, other countries followed suit. The same is true with tanks. Everybody copies and develops.

Only stupid nations think that they should forever buy military technology from other countries without even trying to build their own.

And since it is military technology, I think it'€™s wise not to be dependent on other nations to avoid being dictated to. As has been the US'€™ policy with embargos.

Rio Rivai