TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - In a meeting with the state-owned ship maker PT PAL on Monday, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo cited that the country’s Rp127 trillion defense budget will be mainly spent to purchase domestic defense products.

In a written statement from PT PAL Indonesia, the president also instructed the industry to establish strategic defense independence as Jokowi noted that the industry is being set to be the top priority in meeting the demands of Indonesian state-ministries.

“So state instances such as the defense ministry, finance ministry, or the Indonesian coast guard, can purchase ships from PT PAL Indonesia,” said Jokowi.

The President also expressed that the certainty of orders will hopefully not only be for the next five years, but also up to the next fifteen years. This is why he underlined the need for consistency in This long-term certainty in procuring the primary weaponry defense system (alutsista).

Prior to the meeting, President Jokowi took the time to enter the Alugoro submarine among other defense facilities produced at PT PAL. The Alugoro marks the third submarine from the first batch of partnership with Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME).

KUKUH S. WIBOWO