Endriartono told to keep his pledges<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
While the question of internal reform in the Indonesian Military
\n(TNI) hangs in the balance, legislators and military observers
\ngave a thumbs-up to President Megawati Soekarnoputri's nomination
\nof Gen. Endriartono Sutarto for TNI's top post on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Legislators said the legislative body was not actually in a
\nposition to reject Endriartono, since the President had proposed
\nonly one candidate.<\/p>\n
\"Unless there is something really wrong about Endriartono, it
\nwould be difficult for legislators to turn down his nomination,\"
\nsaid House deputy speaker A.M. Fatwa, who was once put in jail by
\nthe regime of former president Soeharto for his alleged
\ninvolvement in the Tanjung Priok case.<\/p>\n
Permadi, a legislator of the Indonesian Democratic Party of
\nStruggle (PDI Perjuangan), said it was not out of the ordinary
\nthat Endriartono did not elaborate on his program to conduct an
\ninternal reform during the fit and proper test because of the
\nuncertainty of his term of office.<\/p>\n
\"He is fully aware that he could be replaced at any time the
\nPresident wishes to do so,\" said Permadi, who has frequently
\nspoken out against the military.<\/p>\n
It is almost certain that the House will endorse Endriartono
\nas all factions in the commission that conducted the fit and
\nproper test agreed to his nomination.<\/p>\n
Kusnanto Anggoro, a military observer from the Centre for
\nStrategic and International Studies (CSIS), said the President
\nshould replace Endriartono should he fail to meet the promises he
\nmade before the legislative body.<\/p>\n
He said, however, that he was not sure if Megawati would have
\nthe courage to do so should Endriartono's performance be
\nconsidered disappointing.<\/p>\n
Juwono Sudarsono, the former defense minister and former
\ndeputy governor of the Institute of National Resilience, threw
\nhis weight behind Endriartono's nomination.<\/p>\n
\"He is the right general to systematically carry out the
\nmilitary's reform agenda,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Endriartono has drawn negative reactions from activists and
\nstudents who were behind the proreform demonstration that forced
\nSoeharto to step down on May 21, 1998.<\/p>\n
So far, the students' demands for military reform have
\nremained unclear since the TNI, especially the Army, still plays
\na powerful role in politics. The House fell short of extracting
\nthe military's commitment to stay out of politics, accept
\ncivilian supremacy and go back to the defense function.<\/p>\n
Four years after the reform movement was launched, there is no
\nindication that the military is ready to leave the House in 2004
\nor the People's Consultative Assembly in 2009 or that it will
\ngradually leave its territorial function behind.<\/p>\n
The number of military commands has increased from ten to
\ntwelve.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/endriartono-told-to-keep-his-pledges-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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