Markus Junianto Sihaloho – After ripping into the Defense Ministry over a plan to buy secondhand combat tanks, the House of Representatives now finds itself fending off criticism that it is trying to get a cut from the $600 million project.

Teguh Juwarno, from House Commission I, which oversees defense and foreign affairs, denied on Thursday media reports that the opposition to the purchase was rooted in the House's collusion with a private arms dealer to try and take over what was meant to be a purely government-to-government deal.

"That's not true at all, we have no intention at all of getting a private dealer involved in this," said Teguh, from the National Mandate Party (PAN).

He insisted that the House's opposition was based on concerns over the way the deal was being made with the Dutch government, without the involvement of either countries' legislatures.

"We're criticizing the mechanism in use. We also question the technical specifications [of the tanks]," he said. "After all, do we really need Leopard tanks?"

The planned purchase of the 100 used tanks has been dogged by criticism since being announced a few months ago. Most Commission I legislators have spoken out against it and called on the government to review the deal.

Al Muzzammil Yusuf, a Commission I member from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), said the purchase would be a blow to the domestic arms industry, particularly to state-owned armorer Pindad, which also manufactures armed combat vehicles. "Pindad is already producing tanks that meet our specifications, so why do we have to import them from abroad?" he said.

Legislators from the ruling Democratic Party, however, have stood by the deal, revealing on Thursday that they had held private talks with the Defense Ministry on the issue.

Salim Mengga, a Democrat serving on Commission I, said the meeting with Deputy Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin took place earlier this month at a hotel in Jakarta, where the Democrats pledged to back the purchase.

The main reason to go with the Leopards, Salim said, was because of the need to replace the military's current fleet of aging, out-of-production tanks. He added that the price for each of the secondhand tanks was the same as for a new alternative built in South Korea or Russia, but that the Leopard had better specifications.