Jakarta MPs oppose defence treaty

The Jakarta Post, May 26, 2007
By Salim Osman, INDONESIA CORRESPONDENT


JAKARTA-S'PORE PACTS
Senior legislators will not ratify pact, saying it could undermine nation's sovereignty


UP IN ARMS: Students from the Riau islands demonstrating in Jakarta yesterday, demanding cancellation of an agreement with Singapore over a joint military exercise to be held on the islands.



JAKARTA - AS THE Indonesian government prepares to present the extradition and defence agreements with Singapore for ratification in Parliament next week, senior Indonesian legislators have threatened to block the defence pact.

Several legislators from the major parties said that they would not ratify the Defence Cooperation Agreement because they feared that the pact could undermine the country's sovereignty, according to the Jakarta Post and Media Indonesia daily yesterday.

'We can ratify the extradition treaty but we will not ratify the defence treaty if it undermines our sovereignty. We need the government to give us details on every article of the treaty, and explain why they agreed to such terms,' former attorney-general Marzuki Darusman from the Golkar Party, the country's largest political party, told the Jakarta Post.

Both Indonesia and Singapore have agreed that the defence pact and the extradition treaty signed last month are part of the same package, and should be ratified together.

The Straits Times understands that if there is any opposition to the treaties when they are presented to Parliament, they would have to be put to a vote.

A simple majority vote from the 550-member Parliament will be needed for the treaties to be passed.

Joining the senior Golkar politician in opposing the pact was a senior legislator from the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party - Struggle (PDI-P), Mr Permadi, who also questioned the defence treaty.

'There's no way that PDI-P and myself will agree to ratify the defence treaty, as I know that the government gives Singapore freedom to enter our territory. It really undermines our sovereignty,' he was quoted as saying by the Jakarta Post.

Mr Permadi, who like Mr Marzuki is a member of the parliamentary commission on defence and foreign affairs, said most of his colleagues were against the defence agreement.

Another commission member, Mr Djoko Susilo of the National Mandate Party, said his party would reject the defence pact if the government did not renegotiate the treaty.

The move to prevent the defence pact from being ratified was also supported by the Islam-based United Development Party (PPP). Its deputy secretary-general Taufiqulhadi told Media Indonesia that all PPP legislators had been told to reject the defence treaty.

One analyst, Mr Kusnanto Anggoro, said the legislators had every reason to reject the defence pact because Singapore stood to benefit from its ambiguous wording.

Citing an example, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies analyst said the treaty did not specify what military equipment Singapore could bring into Indonesia.

'Singapore will expect that its submarines can be used in training in Indonesian waters, while it can also launch and get rid of its expired missiles in Indonesian territory. We would like to know also if Singapore would have to notify Indonesia before bringing in third parties for training,' Mr Kusnanto was quoted as saying.

The governor of the National Defence Institute, Mr Muladi, urged legislation to weigh carefully the 'plus-minus' of the treaty with Singapore.

'The treaty touches on our sovereignty,' he told Media Indonesia.

But the Indonesian chief negotiator on the defence pact, Mr Dadi Susanto, said the government had anticipated all of these concerns, and planned to provide explanations to Parliament and the public.

The rumblings of disapproval from Indonesian lawmakers follow that from a governor of the northern Riau islands, who does not want any joint military exercise with Singapore to be held there as part of the pact.