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Indonesia must be prudent with military spending, Jokowi says
The country is seeking to modernise its military but has lagged its regional peers in recent years.
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Center stage: President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo salutes as he presides over a ceremony on Oct. 1, 2023 marking Pancasila Sanctity Day at the Lubang Buaya monument in East Jakarta.
(Antara/Sigid Kurniawan)
P
resident Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Thursday emphasised the importance of military hardware modernisation but warned any spending should be done wisely as the state budget was limited.
The country is seeking to modernise its military but has lagged its regional peers in recent years.
"Spending for military hardware must be done wisely, in terms of the amount or allocation," Jokowi said during an armed forces parade.
Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto, a likely presidential candidate seeking to replace the outgoing Jokowi next year, has led a series of procurements of late, including 42 Dassault Rafale fighter jets for $8.1 billion, 12 new drones from Turkish Aerospace worth $300 million, and 12 Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets valued at $800 million.
Jokowi in July also warned his cabinet to maintain a "healthy" budget as he highlighted outsised spending by the security agencies, including the defence ministry.
For the past decade, Indonesia's defence spending per capita and as a percentage of gross domestic product has been the lowest among Southeast Asia's six emerging market economies, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) think tank.
