LEGISLATORS RAMP UP CRITICISM OF DEFENSE ACCORD

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 003450 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/RSP NSC FOR E.PHU SECDEF FOR USDP/ISA/AP CLAD/TOOLAN/IPSEN E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/21/2017 TAGS: PREL MARR PGOV ID SN SUBJECT: LEGISLATORS RAMP UP CRITICISM OF DEFENSE ACCORD WITH SINGAPORE REF: A. JAKARTA 2660 ¶B. JAKARTA 1566 Classified By: Pol/C Joseph Legend Novak, reasons 1.4 (b+d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The proposed Defense Cooperation Agreement with Singapore has come under renewed attack in the Indonesian legislature (DPR). Legislators cite the allegedly adverse effect that its proposed activities would have on local farmers and fishermen near one of the accord's proposed training areas. One contact told us that the GOI--in discussions with Singapore--might seek to adjust aspects of the agreement in an attempt to make it more palatable to the DPR. END SUMMARY. LEGISLATORS NOT PLEASED ¶2. (C) DPR members are escalating their critique of the proposed Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) with Singapore. The Yudhoyono administration submitted the accord to the DPR for ratification earlier this year. (Note: The two countries initialed the accord in April 2007. The agreement allows the Singapore Armed Forces renewed access to sites in Indonesia for training purposes, following a two-year hiatus since suspension of an earlier agreement.) On December 14, Sidarto Danusubroto--who is Vice Chair of the DPR's Commission I which handles foreign affairs and security issues--told the press he had made the recommendation to the president that the administration withdraw the proposed agreement because "it does not meet Indonesia's national interest and was prejudicial to the livelihoods of many Indonesians." ¶3. (C) Danusubroto's comments were seconded by another Commission I member, Arief Mudatsir Mandan. In discussions with Pol/C, other DPR members have also mentioned their general unhappiness with the agreement, which they see as unfair to Indonesia and too favorable to Singapore. INDONESIANS WILL SUFFER? ¶4. (C) The latest comments open up yet another line of opposition, which until now has focused primarily on territorial sovereignty and a perceived imbalance favoring Singapore. Danusubroto made his comments after visiting with the Governor of Riau Province (a region located close to Singapore),where one of the major joint training areas would be located, and talking with local officials and citizens there. Local opinion, Danusubroto claimed, was uniformly against the DCA, citing its allegedly adverse impact on farmers and fishermen in the area due to: the large areas of land needed for military training; the 25-year time span of the agreement; and, the high frequency of proposed training activities in the area. In making his comments, Danusubroto did not indicate whether any study had been conducted that demonstrated that the claimed adverse impact would take place in the event of the accord's implementation. GOI TO DISCUSS WITH SINGAPORE? ¶5. (C) The GOI seems set to discuss the agreement with Singapore, perhaps with a view to renegotiating parts of it. Gembong Prijono, a key assistant to Vice President Kalla, told Pol/C on December 21 that the Indonesian government was "carefully reviewing" the agreement and might be asking the Singaporeans to "adjust" several aspects. Prijono was not clear as to what sections of the accord might need to be reviewed by the two sides. Prijono added that any renegotiation had to be done with a view to "fixing the agreement" and not scrapping it entirely. PORTENTS NOT GOOD ¶6. (C) In Jakarta, it is not looking positive for the Singapore DCA. As they do with Malaysia, Indonesians harbor a great deal of resentment toward Singapore, which is JAKARTA 00003450 002 OF 002 considered a rich, somewhat condescending neighbor. That said, the Yudhoyono administration--while reading the political tea leaves--clearly wants to act responsibly and does not want to scuttle the accord. At this point, a key DPR leader--Chair of Commission I Theo Sambuaga--has not made his views known. As of a week or so ago, however, Sambuaga made remarks to Pol/C that basically made clear that he was not going to go to the mat for the accord. HUME