TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
House awaits government’s explanation over deals with Singapore
Change Size
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo (right) poses with Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (left) prior to their leader’s meeting in Bintan Island on Jan. 25, 2022. (AFP/Laily Rachev)
T
he House of Representatives is still waiting for further explanations from the government on the three strategic agreements signed with Singapore on Bintan Island on Tuesday, before it can proceed with ratifying them.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo met with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Bintan on Tuesday, where they oversaw the signing of agreements to realign the Flight Information Region (FIR), revise their extradition treaty and renew a commitment to fulfill an existing defense cooperation agreement (DCA), which has yet to be ratified by the House.
TB Hasanuddin of the House’ Commission I overseeing defense and foreign affairs told reporters on Wednesday that the House was still waiting for further explanations from the government.
“On the FIR, for example, we have heard that Singapore is still controlling the area under 37,000 feet, even though we will receive a greater share. We have to hear explanations on these things from the government before ratifying,” he told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
He added that such questions would be asked at a session with the Defense Ministry and the Air Force on Thursday.
Under the new scheme, Indonesia will delegate flight services up to an altitude of 37,000 feet (11,278 meters) to the Singapore aviation authority, while taking control over all flights beyond this altitude, raising questions over Indonesia’s own capacity to manage the airspace.
Office of the Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister spokesman Jodi Mahardi argued that the cooperation with Singapore had nothing to do with Indonesia’s capabilities.
