JAKARTA - Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto responded to the issue of the main weapon system mafia (alutsista). The initials alleged that this defense equipment mafia appeared after the sinking of KRI Nanggala-402.
"Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto would be very grateful if Mrs. Connie mentioned and opened up who the Mafia, whom he called Mister M, was, if necessary, report the action concerned to the KPK or the police. Don't just become a rumor and slander,” said Prabowo through his spokesman Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak to reporters, Sunday, May 9.
"Including what he said was a shadow defense industry, just name the General who he mentioned playing? Moreover, Mrs. Connie said that she did not get sufficient knowledge related to it, sorry for the many generals who are good at the Ministry of Defense and the TNI who want fundamental changes and strengthen Indonesia's defense for the better but are victims of accusations and rumors conveyed by Mrs. Connie," said Dahnil.
He emphasized that the tradition of academics is to be honest and convey something based on facts and data, not rumors let alone slander.
"Academics can be wrong but must not lie. So, we would be very grateful for Mrs. Connie to just mention the mafias, and we support them to be prosecuted legally because, since the beginning of being Minister of Defense, Mr. Prabowo Subianto has always warned that there is no place for anyone to play games efforts to modernize defense equipment because this is related to the existence of Indonesia as a nation, Indonesia's dignity as a country. He wants all efforts to modernize defense equipment to be carried out accountably while maintaining national interests," said Dahnil on behalf of the Minister of Defense Prabowo.
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Mr. M Phenomenon
Military observer, Connie Rahakundini Bakri, said there was a figure who was influential in the procurement of the army weaponry system. She said, the emergence of a business mafia in the national defense system has exacerbated the problem of the main tool of the defense system or the TNI's defense system.
"There is a (business mafia in the national defense system), (let's call it) Mister M," she said in a virtual discussion, Sunday, April 25.
However, Connie did not explain in more detail about the figure in question. However, she revealed that she had found a chaos in the TNI's defense equipment. One of them is related to the Maung tactical vehicle (rantis) project initiated by the Ministry of Defense (Kemhan).
"I also found and who wanted to open it. In my opinion, this is part of corruption. Don't get me wrong, first, he bought the whole Hilux, only the chassis was taken, then the others were resold. Even though the one being charged was the price of that one car, then I saw 200 cars (Hilux) that came," she said.
In addition, Connie also mentioned the cooperation in the manufacture of Indonesian-Korean fighter jets entitled Korean Fighter Xperiment (KFX) and Indonesia Fighter Xperiment (IFX). This cooperation has the potential to meet a dead end because Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto decided not to continue the project.
"Regarding KFX-IFX from the start of the program, I was against it. Come back to 2009, there are documents that cannot lie. I oppose because this doesn't make sense to me, how can we build a fighter cooperation when it is 18 years from now. We just have the rights to 20 percent of technology. Then, oddly enough, we have already made purchases, but now the possibility is not so that we will lose more," she explained.
However, Connie said, even if it was to be continued, the potential losses suffered by Indonesia would be much greater. Even when the defense equipment is finished, this combat tool will be far behind.
"But even if we continue, I'll just tell you, when we have it, people have arrived at the 7th generation of their fighters. So many things were decided that made no sense to me," she said.
Therefore, Connie challenged to audit the KFX-IFX project to find out who decided the KFX-KLX project was executed. Including, auditing the defense industry policy committee (KKIP).
"Now Dare not edit KKIP? Do you know who is there? So in my opinion, if we really want to talk about genuine defense, think about the strength of the armed forces and Indonesia's national interests, and prepare good roadmaps according to the president's vision in 2013. It should be easy. But once again, the players don't need to (have to) get out," she said.
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