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Establishing intelligence agency under Defense Ministry violates law: Lawmaker
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On alert – Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu attends a hearing at the House of Representatives in Jakarta recently. He said on Monday that the ministry needed its own intelligence agency. (Tempo.co/-)
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plan to establish an intelligence agency under the Defense Ministry would be in violation of the 2004 Indonesian Military Law and the 2002 Defense Law as it is clearly stipulated in the two laws that the ministry is not an institution of war, a lawmaker says.
TB Hasanuddin, deputy chairman of House of Representatives Commission I overseeing defense and foreign affairs said intelligence functions were conducted by the Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS).
“Thus, if we want to make a new intelligence body under the Defense Ministry, first amend the two laws. We cannot establish an intelligence body just as we wish,” said Hasanuddin as quoted by kompas.com at the House complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday.
He further said that if the Defense Ministry needed comprehensive intelligence information, it did not necessary mean that it had to form its own intelligence agency.
“The President can resolve this by simply issuing a presidential decree [Keppres] requiring BAIS to forward intelligence information to the defense minister. That’s all,” said Hasanuddin.
The lawmaker said the Defense Ministry had a responsibility to coordinate state defense institutions. The ministry was not an entity to engage in war like the Indonesian Military.
Earlier, Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu said an intelligence agency directly under the Defense Ministry was needed.
It was important for the Defense Ministry to have its own intelligence agency as it could dig for more information on state defense issues, he claimed.
Ryamizard claimed that the Defense Ministry never received defense-related intelligence information.
“Where are the Defense Ministry’s eyes and ears if it doesn’t have its own intelligence body? It’s important to have such a body so that we know about any situation that happens in the country. It would be like the extended hand of the Defense Ministry,” said Ryamizard as quoted by kompas.com in Jakarta on Monday.
Ryamizard said intelligence had become really important in dealing with external threats, which were increasing.
He said the Defense Ministry no longer had an intelligence agency after the Indonesian Military was separated from the ministry after the Reform Era. It was quite problematic that the Defense Ministry, which had policies related to the Indonesian Military, did not have its own intelligence body, he said.
“It’s funny to see that the Defense Ministry, which has military-related policies, such as how the Indonesian Military operates, does not have its own intelligence body. We must have such a body because only with that we will learn of situations and implement measures in response to be entrusted to the Indonesian Military,” said Ryamizard.
The minister further said that ideally a big country had four intelligence bodies to handle foreign, domestic, defense and law intelligence activities.
Ryamizard said he had conveyed the urgency of establishing an intelligence agency to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and the government was in the process of establishing one. Positions at the agency would be filled by professionals from civil and military institutions, he said. (ebf)
