President to Ensure End of Armed Forces’ Businesses

SBY PRESIDENCY

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono gave his assurance the businesses operated by the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) will be terminated. This was conveyed at the 64th anniversary of the Indonesian Armed Forces yesterday in Cilangkap, East Jakarta. He said the termination of businesses will indicate that the Indonesian Armed Forces’ are truly committed to reforms.

“The TNI must continue and implement the reform agenda, including terminating their businesses, in line with the legal mandate,” Yudhoyono said.

Yudhoyono added that ending these businesses was crucial to allow the TNI to focus on carrying out their real duties.

The many businesses previously operated by the TNI, Yudhoyono said, will be handed over to the government based on the relevant presidential decree.

On Monday last week, Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono said that this week Yudhoyono will sign the decree initiating the transfer of the TNI businesses to the government. The main point of the regulation, Juwono said, is that the monitoring will be controlled by the Defense Department. The transfer mechanism and procedure is to be drafted by the Defense Minister in a series of regulations.

The transfer of the TNI businesses must be completed before October 16, 2009, as cited in the TNI Law no. 34/2004. The government had formed a national team to work on this transfer, whose task was to analyze, review and inventorize all TNI businesses, including those operated by foundations and cooperatives.

In the final report dated July 2008, the team stated that the TNI business assets were valued at Rp 3,2 trillion, excluding the Rp 1 trillion debts.(TEMPO Interactive)

Share