Former President Habibie Grumbles Over Plans to Procure Leopard Tanks

Jakarta Globe, Mar 27, 2014

Indonesian military officers look at a German tank, 62 ton-MBT Leopard Evolution,
 during the 2012 Indodefense expo in Jakarta on Nov. 8, 2012. (AFP Photo/
Bay Ismoyo)

Jakarta. Former Indonesian President B.J. Habibie has strongly criticized the government’s decision to go proceed with the purchase of Leopard tanks.

“I received information last October that we were going to import Leopards. But Leopards are used in deserts; it’s not for a maritime country like Indonesia,” Habibie said at a discussion in Jakarta on Wednesday, adding that Indonesia should develop its weaponry in accordance to a potential war scenario within the country.

“They should use their brains, don’t just [buy Leopards] because it’s cheap,” he said. “I don’t want to criticize anyone… We need to learn from our mistakes and fix them for the good of the future.”

The Ministry of Defense announced it plan in 2012 to purchase hundreds of Leopard main battle tanks as part of efforts to modernize Indonesia’s defenses for the 2011-2015 period. Such plans inspired critics to claim the project was prone to turn into a means for corruption by those involved in the deal.

In 2012, Indonesia Police Watch (IPW) chairman Neta S. Pane also raised concerns over the procurement.

“What Indonesia needs are small and tactical tanks to secure our vulnerable border areas,” Neta said in a report by Inilah.com in 2012, which also mentioned the Leopard’s unsuitability for this country’s environment, which was said to comprise mostly beaches, forests and swamps.

However, a British-based military contractor who has supplied the Indonesian military with tactical equipment, disagreed, saying the Leopard is a “good all-round MBT [main battle tank].

“It’s a multi-roll tank used in both deserts and in urban settings,” the contractor said.

He conceded that the armored vehicle was “suited for desert conditions due to its air filtration system [but it] can go anywhere as long as the terrain allows.”

“Twelve European countries have the Leopard,” the contractor added. “It has seen combat in Kosovo as well as Afghanistan.”

Still, Indonesia’s former president aired his concerns regarding the purchase on Wednesday, saying that in its war against Vietnam, the United States focused on the use of fighter aircraft instead of tanks.