Jakarta – The government says it will form a new intelligence body so that President Abdurrahman Wahid will receive reliable information and no longer have to rely on rumors and hearsay.
Recognizing the weaknesses of existing intelligence bodies, Defense Minister Mohammad Mahfud yesterday said the Wahid administration needs accurate information, not rumors. We dont want the president to keep receiving information from unofficial sources, as happens at present, Mahfud said at a hearing with the parliament. He said the new intelligence body will be under the control of the Defense Ministry.
The plan was confirmed by Coordinating Minister for Politics, Social and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. He said the new information agency will be called the National Intelligence Body (BIN). The government wants to improve the capacity and capabilities of state intelligence. We want intelligence analyses that are accurate, so the government can study them before making certain decisions, he said.
Yudhoyono said the proposal to restructure the intelligence system came from the State Intelligence Coordination Board (BAKIN). He said the new body will be given considerably more authority than BAKIN had. BAKIN and other intelligence bodies have been under for failing to solve cases such as bombings, organized sectarian riots, and ninja killings.
Political analysts say the nations poor intelligence services have prompted Wahid to rely on whisperers. The president has often issued controversial statements that are apparently the result of the incorrect or unverifiable information that he sometimes receives.
Mahfud said most staff at the new intelligence body will be recruited from BAKIN and the Strategic Intelligence Body (BAIS), which is currently under the control of the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI).
The future intelligence body will be a source of information on national defense. It will provide the president with official information so that he will no longer have to accept inaccurate information.
Mahfud said he has discussed the plan for a new intelligence body with Wahid and TNI Commander Admiral Widodo Adisutjipto. And in principle they agree with the idea. We will hold further discussions on how to establish the new intelligence body.
The minister said the biggest obstacle the Defense Ministry will face in creating a strong intelligence body is a lack of funds. During the New Order era [of former president Soeharto] there was an unlimited budget for intelligence activities. But now there is only the state budget allocation because the House of Representatives always keeps a close watch on spending.
He said the new intelligence body will not be used just for the interests of Wahid, but for the interests of the government in general. The defense minister said the new body will not be designed to frighten people like former intelligence agencies did, because we want the people to help us collect information. We also want the new intelligence body to always be close to the people.
Defense Ministry Secretary General Lieutenant General Soegiono said the structure of the new body will be determined at a meeting on October 24. He said its still unclear whether the body will be a directorate at the Defense Ministry or an agency controlled by the ministry.