Jakarta – The House of Representatives is to question Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Djoko Santoso here Monday about the recent discovery of a large arms stash at the house of a deceased two-star general.
The weapons stashed at one of Brig. Gen. Koesmayadi's residences were a serious matter and should be explained to the public, said lawmaker Sutradara Ginting, a member of the House Commission I for defense, information and foreign affairs.
"We (Commission I) will ask about the results of the military police's investigation into the case," he told a radio talkshow on Saturday.
Commission I members have accused Juwono of lacking commitment to reform the military, pointing to the arms scandal as an example of how illegal military businesses have not been dissolved.
The military has been widely criticized for its reluctance to bow to civilian law, which analysts say has hindered the country's reform.
Sutradara, from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said the outcome of the arms probe could help reveal other illegal arms businesses in the military.
He said he could understand if the military police were having difficulties investigating the case because it likely involved many high-ranking military officers. Should the military police's investigation not satisfy lawmakers, the House would set up a working committee to help investigate the arms scandal, Sutradara said.
Army chief Djoko Santoso announced last week that his office had discovered 145 rifles, 42 handguns, more than 28,000 bullets, nine grenades and 28 pairs of binoculars in Koesmayadi's house in Ancol, North Jakarta.
Intelligence expert Wawan Purwanto said the military police should gather evidence by dusting the weapons for fingerprints because the key suspect, Koesmayadi, had already died.
"The military police can question Koesmayadi's relatives. However, they may not know about the weapons." Wawan speculated that the weapons may have come from a special operation in Aceh He said the arms could have been supplied from sources in Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan or China.