Memory Of Controversy Purchase Of 39 Ex-East Germany Warships

JAKARTA - The New Order Government once had the ambition to buy 39 ex-East German warships. Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie considers the purchase of ships to benefit Indonesia. The Minister of Research and Technology (Menristek) in the 1978-1998 era believes that the Indonesian maritime fleet will be strong.

Purchases are not smooth. The proposal for the purchase of the ship was rejected many times by the Ministry of Finance (Menkeu) state cashier. The price of the ship is cheap, but other components are piled up. The price swelled. The move was criticized by many parties for buying junk and waste.

The plan for the Soeharto government and the New Order (Orba) to buy 39 ex-East German warships surfaced in 1992. Among them are 16 Parchim Corvetter ships, 14 Frosch type vessels, and nine Kondor-type vessels.

The price per unit is cheap, ranging from 189 thousand US dollars to 378 thousand US dollars. Minister of Research and Technology Habibie became the most assertive person. He considers the price of an affordable ship. Not to mention that the technology of ex-East Germany warships is considered still good and capable.

Habibie views that Indonesia cannot delay the purchase of warships. Indonesia needs to build a strong naval fleet. All because of the higher technology, the higher the potential for war of a country. Moreover, Indonesia is currently in conflict in East Timor.

The cheap price made Habibie desperate to buy all ex-East German ships. It's okay to use debt instruments. He then submitted a purchase proposal to the Ministry of Finance. The proposal that was submitted swelled.

Ship prices are cheap, but other costs are expensive. The cost component includes reparations, modifications, and navigation tools. Understandably, because the ex-East German ship has been grounded for three years by the German government.

In total, Habibie once stated his intention to buy the ex-East German ship to Minister of Finance JB Sumarlin in 1992. Habibie tried to calculate everything to get a figure of 1.1 billion US dollars. The ship needed repairs to build about 20 more piers.

Later in the era of the Minister of Finance held by Marie Muhammad the proposal changed to only 760 million dollars and was rejected. Another proposal had appeared.

The Ministry of Finance requested that the figure be adjusted again to reach 422.8 million dollars which increased after it was guaranteed export credit to reach 466 million dollars. The purchase of ships was made in 1994.

"Maybe that's why there was a lower cost process for 39 ex-East Germany warships, from 760 million US dollars to 600 million US dollars, then down again to 480 million US dollars. It's not impossible, that price could slide even lower. If finally found a decent price -received with a graceful chest either by BJ Habibie or Mar'ie Muhammad - hopefully that's also the price level that fits our pocket capabilities.

"Without us walking around the contents of the pocket, technology will whenever we are glared and amazed. And maybe that's the beginning of a disaster. There's nothing wrong with being revealed here too, the KRI Teluk Lampung disaster and the price of 39 warships taken care of by Minister Habibie to Germany have exposed us to two very harsh facts (improvement and preparation costs)," said Isma Savitri in her article in Tempo magazine entitled Habibie and Ship: That's Ship Climax (1994).

Purchase of 39 ex-West German warships received opposition from within the country. All people consider the purchase to be nothing more than a waste. There are also those who think the price is far-fetched. The public considers Indonesia to be buying junk ships.

The government is required to buy a new warship instead of buying junk. The narrative is getting stronger because the German parliament wants the ship to be stripped of its weapons to be sold to Indonesia. They are worried that if most of the weapons are not destroyed, Indonesia will use East Timor's military action.

This fact makes Habibie in a difficult position. Indonesia is predicted to lose a lot. Criticism that was present then became even more intense when the KRI Teluk Lampung, which incidentally was one of 39 ex-East German ships, had problems when shipping from Germany to Indonesia.

The KRI Teluk Lampung ship was deemed unable to hit the waves in Biscay Bay, near France and Spain. The ship almost sank. All crew were evacuated. Likewise with the ship. As a result, the ship's criticism echoed like a junk surfaced.

The government had dodged that the incident that almost caused harm was not the condition of the ship. However, because of human factors. However, not everyone believes in the story of the ruling version. Purchase of warships and the problem was then reported by Tempo, Editor, and Tabloid Detik magazines.

The result drew the anger of the authorities. Suharto and the New Order were furious. The mass media that wrote down was considered to be clouding the atmosphere and disrupting national stability. Indonesia absolutely needs a reliable fleet of seas.

Tempo Magazine and other media outlets were screened on June 21, 1994. However, the runoff did not solve the problem. Indonesia is seen as a big loss. In fact, the acquisition of the warship was deemed unnecessary when Suharto and the New Order collapsed in 1998.

"People who half understand this and then express opinions have clouded the situation, pitted against each other, and caused an atmosphere of suspicion to each other, thus disrupting stability. We cannot allow them. If we cannot be warned, then we will act," said Suharto as quoted by the Merdeka newspaper, June 10, 1994.