Deutsche Welle, 5 November 2012
With
Indonesia set to invest in a major tank deal with German suppliers, concerns
over human rights abuses refuse to go away. There are also questions as to
whether the archipelago nation needs such equipment.
The
Indonesian foreign ministry has announced that the country's armed forces will
buy 103 Leopard and 50 smaller Marder tanks from Germany. The orders were
placed with the company Rheinmetall in Dusseldorf, Germany.
"The
tanks will be delivered in stages - at the end of 2012, in 2013 and in the
first half of 2014," Deputy Defense Minister Sjafrie Syamsuddin told
journalists in Jakarta.
The deal is
thought to be worth some 210 million euros (270 US dollars). The Indonesian
Defense Ministry has said it will buy 40 Leopard 2A4 vehicles and 63 Leopard
Revolution tanks.
A contract
was due to be signed between Jakarta and Rheinmetall on Wednesday. The deal
coincides with Rheinmetall's participation in an Indonesian military trade
fair, the Indo Defense Expo and Forum, from November 7 to 12.
 |
| Syamsuddin made the announcement, saying the tanks would come in stages |
Previously,
the defense ministry had named the armaments company Krauss Maffei Wegmann in
Munich as its supplier - something the firm had denied.
Despite
those denials, the news was enough to trigger a storm of protest. Human rights
organizations have sharply criticized the fact that the tanks are being
procured from Germany. Valeska Ebeling of the rights group Survival
International explained that her organization had strong concerns about the
human rights situation in Indonesia - particularly in the region of West Papua.
Survival International claims the indigenous people of the resource rich area
have been suppressed since 1963.
"The
German tanks could be used against by the government against its own
people," said Ebeling. "We want Germany to address the issue of
responsibility and human rights with Indonesia."
The
opposition in Jakarta is also unhappy. Indonesian parliament representative and
member of the defense commission, Helmi Fauzi, explained to DW that the Leopard
tanks were not appropriate for Indonesia, being too heavy for the country's
road system. In addition, he claimed, the Indonesian navy did not have ships
suitable for carrying the tanks.
"Indonesia
needs many more light and small tanks," explained Fauzi, who is a member
of the largest opposition party the PDI-P. But while the defense commission
initially saw a heated debate about the tank deal, Fauzi said, the majority
were eventually in favor.
 |
| Rheinmetall is due to exhibit its wares at a military trade fair in Indonesia |
'A matter
of status'
According
to security experts, the Indonesian army was keen to buy heavy battle tanks
because neighboring countries such as Malaysia and Singapore already possessed
such weapons. For the army, the possession of such weapons was important, even
if only for prestige.
The
Indonesian human rights organization Imparsial criticized the project. Poengky
Indarti, the group's executive director, described it as a pure waste of money
adding that any deal should be based on objective rather than political
criteria. Transparency, said Indarti, remained paramount to prevent corruption.
Dutch
rejection, change of plan
 |
| The deal is also for a number of light German "Marder" tanks |
Opponents
of the weapons deal are now relying on the German government.
"Even
if the weapons deal is not negotiated directly with the German government, but
with a company instead, the government still needs to give its
permission," stressed Survival International's Ebeling, hoping the
government would carefully consider the situation of human rights in Indonesia.
