Jusuf Kalla: Australia`s Insult against Indonesia Inappropriate
6 January 2017 19:44 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla said that Indonesia has decided to suspend its military cooperation with Australia following the insult they made against the Pancasila (Indonesian Five Principles), which he deemed very inappropriate.
“A nation must respect another nation, which is why the government will react once there are things deemed inappropriate,” Jusuf Kalla said on Friday, January 6, 2017.
Kalla said that the offense is related to Indonesia’s National Armed Forces (TNI). The TNI has taken action by halting their exchange program and re-evaluating other forms of cooperation. This step has been taken even though Australia has issued an apology.
Although Kalla said that the mistake did not necessarily mean it was conducted nationally. “Maybe it was just a local mistake, maybe [it was] in a certain level. I think the problem can be solved properly,” he said.
As previously reported, a TNI member found a material deemed offensive to Indonesians on an Australian military base. One of the offenses were citing the Pancasila as ‘pancagila’ (Panca+gila; gila means crazy in Indonesian), followed by other materials that are deemed offensive to the TNI.
AMIRULLAH
