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New spy agency shows ministry's lack of coordination: Setara
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Defending rights -- Setara Institute chairman Hendardi speaks to journalists on the sidelines of an event in Jakarta. (Kompas.com/Abba Gabrillin)
T
he Defense Ministry's plan to establish its own intelligence agency reflects its lack of willingness to coordinate with the country's existing intelligence bodies, rights group Setara Institute claimed on Friday.
Setara Institute chairman Hendardi said the Defense Ministry actually could benefit from intelligence units within the Indonesian Military (TNI) or coordinate with the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) to gain the information it needed. However, they were somewhat reluctant to coordinate with each other, he added.
"It seems each [of the institutions] wants to show off its institutional superiority instead of coordinating with each other for the sake of the nation and state," Hendardi said in a statement in Jakarta on Friday.
Hendardi said that with its plan to create a new spy agency, the Defense Ministry was neglecting several items on the strategic defense agenda it should improve, including the management of military businesses and human resources and the reform of military courts.
The plan also contradicted the 2004 Indonesian Military Law and the 2002 Defense Law, which mandated defense and military reforms, Hendardi added.
Earlier, Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu announced his plan to establish an intelligence body under the Defense Ministry that aimed to dig deeper for information for the sake of the country's defense interests. (ebf)
