Zero Tolerance for Corrupt Practices in Alutsista Procurement, President Jokowi Says

President Jokowi along with Vice President, Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs Minister attends a Limited Meeting on the Procurement of alutsista, at the Presidential Office, Jakarta, Wednesday (26/7) afternoon. (Photo: Rahmat/PR)

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo asserted that the procurement process of primary weaponry system (alutsista) should be started from interaction between Government, that is, Government to Government (G-to-G). The President wanted that the procurement should comply with the principles of transparency and accountability.

“Once again, no tolerance for corrupt, mark-up practices, and I reiterated that the alutsista is purchased from public money to be used for the Indonesian National Defence Forces (TNI) to protect the people, the nation and the state from all forms of threats that exist,” President Jokowi said in his introductory remarks at a Limited Meeting on the Procurement Policy of Alutsista, at the Presidential Office, Jakarta, Wednesday (26/7) afternoon.

The fulfillment of the needs of alutsista, the President continued, must be consistent with the strengthening of the national defense industry. The President further mentioned that currently, Indonesia has accepted an offer for cooperation of alutsista from many countries. “The offers, among others, are in the form of technology transfer, starting from a joint design that will enable the copyrights of new weaponry systems owned by the national industry to the reallocation of production facilities from the alutsista producing countries to Indonesia,” the President said.

The bids, according to the President, must be optimized, so that there is a new breakthrough towards the self-reliance in meeting the needs of defense and security equipment. In addition, the new breakthrough must change the pattern of alutsista expenditure into our defense investment.

The President cautioned that the procurement should abide by the life cycle approach. “Indonesia no longer can purchase, for example, fighter aircrafts without taking into account the cost of life cycle of such alutsista in the next 20 years,” the President said.

The President also reiterated that we bear in mind and anticipate the very rapid change, especially in weapon technology that will affect the style of war in the future.

Earlier in his speech, President Jokowi reminded us that as a big country that has thousands of islands with a strategic geopolitical position, the Government wants to build a more robust defense posture of the TNI, have a more complete, sophisticated alutsista, and it is integrated in the three dimensions of our defense.

To that end, President Jokowi reminded us that the focus of the procurement of alutsista must not only be aimed at meeting the posture of minimum basic strength in 2024, but also have to be adapted to the geographical conditions of Indonesia, given Indonesia is an archipelagic country made up mostly of waters. We also have a very long peripheral area that we must guard and supervise.

The Limited Meeting was attended by Vice President Jusuf Kalla, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Wiranto, Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Puan Maharani, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut B. Pandjaitan, Minister of State Secretary Pratikno, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, Presidential Chief of Staff Teten Masduki, Minister of Industry Airlangga Hartanto, Minister of Communications and Informatics Rudiantara, Minister of National Development Planning/Head of National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) Bambang Brodjonegoro, Minister of State-Owned Enterprises Rini Soemarno, Minister of Research and Technology and Higher Education M. Nasir, Commander of the Indonesian National Defence Forces (TNI) Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo, the Indonesian National Police (Polri) Chief Gen. Tito Karnavian, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mulyono, Air Force Chief of Staff Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto, and Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Ade Supandi. (FID/RMI/EN/RAH/ES) (MUR/YM/Naster).