GMNI Criticizes PDIP Secretary General Hasto Kristiyanto: Comments On Unessential Alutsista, New Or Former Sah Used As Long As...

Illustration - A number of students with disabilities along with their companions saw the F-16 Fighting Falcon and T-50i Golden Eagle/DOK fighters BETWEEN

JAKARTA - Chairman of the DPP Indonesian National Student Movement (GMNI) Imanuel Cahyadi reminded the Secretary General of the PDI-P Hasto Kristiyanto not to polemic about the main weapon system (alutsista). "Unfortunately Mas Hasto as a doctor who graduated from the Defense University (IDU) has withdrawn the issue of defense equipment to things that are not essential, used or new, one of which is," he said in a written statement in Jakarta, Antara, Sunday, January 14. Imanuel revealed this when responding to Hasto's statement asking Indonesian Presidential Candidate Prabowo Subianto to correct the statement about defense equipment during the Soekarno administration in the release of West Irian. According to Imanuel, the topic of defense equipment is about its use. Talking about defense equipment is a matter of determination. It's new or used, as long as it has a determinant effect, of course it's legal to use it. Moreover, he said, Pak Prabowo as Minister of Defense certainly really understands the age of using defense equipment used by his troops. "I regret Mas Hasto's comments, which actually reduces the essence of the determination of the Indonesian defense equipment that was built to this day," he said. In the Bung Karno era, according to him, there was never a debate about used or new defense equipment because Bung Karno understood that the Indonesian people also needed a determination as a military strategy in defending West Irian at that time. "So, what is highlighted is quantity and quality. In the 1960s, it already had dozens of Mig-17s, Mig-19, Mig-21, Tu-16s made in Soviet. Not including those received by the navy and land," he said. In addition, the narrative about Indonesia's defense equipment should talk about the substance of its defense and determination. Bung Karno while defending West Irian by using a combination of new and used defense equipment to defend the sovereignty of the Republic of Indonesia. Imanuel argues that issues related to the procurement of Indonesian defense equipment must be in a new (not used) state without urgent urgency in Indonesia's defense strategy. In terms of national defense, he said, to maintain regional sovereignty with an archipelagic landscape like Indonesia, it requires a lot of defense equipment, especially water and air areas.

"To fulfill this, it should be a question whether it is possible with the current budget posture? Not to mention the technical and priority scale constraints in the use of our budget," he said.