Ganjar Calls Alutsista To Border Becomes A Krucial Issue Ahead Of The Presidential Candidate Debate

Presidential Candidate Ganjar Pranowo/ANTARA/Rio Feisal

JAKARTA - Presidential Candidate number three, Ganjar Pranowo, said there were three crucial issues related to the national defense and security system. Among them are related to the procurement of defense equipment to the border.

This was conveyed by Ganjar on the sidelines of a visit to Demak, Central Java on Tuesday, January 2. Initially, he mentioned that there was a lot that needed to be discussed in the issue of defense and security which became the theme of the third debate.

"When talking about defense equipment, the basic needs of land, sea and air must be prepared seriously," said Ganjar as quoted from his written statement.

However, Ganjar does not want to carelessly procure defense equipment if elected in the 2024 presidential election. Apart from having to meet the needs, the transition must also be considered to prevent the technology from going out of date.

"Because defense equipment is getting more and more modern day," said the former Governor of Central Java.

Meanwhile, regarding the domestic defense industry, Ganjar said, Indonesia actually has potential. Moreover, some of its products have been recognized and exported abroad.

One of the companies that Ganjar mentioned was PT Pindad (Persero) which produces a number of combat vehicles such as the Medium Tank Tigers to Maung and Anoa 3 as well as various rifles and pistols. However, its capabilities must still be improved in order to meet domestic needs.

While the focus on the border is that in the future the government is obliged to strengthen the defense system of the leading and outermost regions. This is because other countries are vulnerable to threatening security and it is not impossible that there are parties who try to take advantage of opportunities such as smuggling.

In addition to the three focuses, Ganjar also mentioned that there are other issues that must be considered in the field of defense and security. For example, cyber crimes to protect Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) abroad.

"We also have to pay attention to our migrant workers. We don't want to take care of our defense and security in the country, but our migrant workers abroad are unprotected," concluded the white-haired figure.