TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Presidential Candidate from the National Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, said that he is planning to allocate budget for the National Army and the National Police if he is to be elected as president. Jokowi said that budget plays an important part in improving Indonesias national defense system.
Jokowi said that there are three main points in the country's defense sector. The first point is the empowerment of an integrated system of armed forces. The second point is increasing the budget allocation for the defense sector up to 1.5 percent of the GDP, based on a seven percent economic growth assumption. While the third point, as Jokowi explained, is proving that Indonesia's defense system is one of the most reliable in the Asian region.
Moreover, Jokowi also criticized the armed forces and police budget allocation in the 2014 State Budget, which reached up to Rp 70 trillion. He said that although the amount of budget is considered to be plenty, both the army and police have failed to carry out its main function.
REZA ADITYA