Military undergoes major leadership reshuffle<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Military (TNI) on Monday formally
\nannounced the much anticipated promotion of Maj. Gen Kiki
\nSyahnakri to the position of Army Deputy Chief of Staff as part
\nof a major military reshuffle involving 94 senior military
\nofficers.<\/p>\n
Vice Adm. Fred Salem Lonan, who currently holds the post of
\nAssistant for Operational Affairs to the Navy chief, was among
\nthose promoted and will hold the post of deputy Navy chief.<\/p>\n
Kiki's current post of Udayana Military Commander will be
\nfilled by his classmate from the Military Academy, Maj. Gen
\nWillem Da Costa, who is currently the Kostrad chief of staff.<\/p>\n
Another major change was the appointment of Maj. Gen. Tonny A.
\nRompis in place of Maj. Gen Albert Inkiriwang as Trikora Military
\nCommander. Tonny is currently Deputy of Bandung's Military
\nEducation and Training Command, while Alber will be placed as an
\nofficial at the Defense Ministry.<\/p>\n
TNI spokesman Vice Marshall Graito Usodo in making the
\nannouncement also said that Presidential Security Guard chief
\nMaj. Gen I Putu Sastra, who only held the post for six-months,
\nwill be replaced by the chief of the intelligence unit of the
\nTNI's Intelligence Strategic Agency (Bais) Brig. Gen Amir Tohar.<\/p>\n
Putu will now be assigned to the Army Headquarters.<\/p>\n
The most notable pattern in the reshuffle involving the four
\nsenior Army posts is that three are being filled by 1971
\ngraduates of the Academy. Amir, as a 1974 graduate, is the most
\njunior.<\/p>\n
The most prestigious promotion of deputy Army chief, to be
\nfilled by Kiki, has been left vacant for a month following the
\npromotion of Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, another 1971 Academy
\ngraduate.<\/p>\n
Kiki began to make national headlines when he was appointed as
\nmilitary commander in East Timor when Jakarta imposed a state of
\nemergency to quell the post-ballot violence in September last
\nyear.<\/p>\n
Previously Kiki, 53, was Assistant for Operational Affairs to
\nthe Army Chief of Staff.<\/p>\n
Wiranto<\/p>\n
There were varying opinions from observers as to the
\nsignificance of the reshuffle, particularly Kiki's appointment.<\/p>\n
Military observer MT. Arifin believes that they signaled a
\ncomeback for Gen. (ret) Wiranto, claiming that the most strategic
\npromotions were those perceived to be loyal to the former
\nmilitary chief.<\/p>\n
\"This (reshuffle) shows that Wiranto's influence is getting
\nstronger again in the TNI, particularly in the Army,\" he told The
\nJakarta Post.<\/p>\n
But Arifin denied suggestions that the reshuffle was an effort
\nby Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri to circumvent President
\nAbdurrahman Wahid's control of the TNI.<\/p>\n
Sources have also claimed that Kiki was initially recommended
\nby Megawati, while Abdurrahman initially recommended other high
\nranking officers such as Chief of the Army Strategic Command
\n(Kostrad) Lt. Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu and Assistant for Personnel
\nAffairs to the Army Chief of Staff Maj. Gen Suprapto.<\/p>\n
Kiki's appointment was reportedly also supported by
\nCoordinating Minister for Political, Social and Security Affairs
\nGen. (hor.) Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and TNI Chief Adm. Widodo
\nAS.<\/p>\n
Arifin also said the reshuffle was a sign that the younger
\ngeneration in the military's top brass was beginning to take over
\nthe strategic posts from their seniors.<\/p>\n
\"It is a shift of leadership from those officers who graduated
\nfrom the Military Academy in 1970 to those who graduated in
\n1971.\"<\/p>\n
Commenting on Putu's replacement as chief of the Presidential
\nSecurity Guard, Arifin believes there was no political motive.<\/p>\n
\"Pak Putu is being parked due to his earlier promotion which
\nwas considered too hasty and because he doesn't have enough
\nterritorial experience,\" he said of Putu who is a 1974 graduate
\nof the Academy.<\/p>\n
But Kusnanto Anggoro, senior researcher at the Center for
\nStrategic and International Studies, stressed that it would be
\ntoo much to assume a comeback for Wiranto.<\/p>\n
\"I don't think we can consider Kiki as Wiranto's man. I think
\nEndriartono is closer to Wiranto because he is more senior,\" he
\ntold the Post.<\/p>\n
Kusnanto noted that Kiki was one of a few reformist officers
\nin the Army who could aid the reform agenda from within the TNI.<\/p>\n
\"Kiki is the one who proposed the abolition of the military's
\nterritorial structure in 1997, earlier than Maj. Gen. Agus
\nWirahadikusumah's proposal,\" he said. \"But he did that in a
\ndifferent way than Agus.\"<\/p>\n
Kusnanto also discounted Megawati's alleged role in the
\nreshuffle, saying that it was natural given her new
\nresponsibility of running the day-to-day affairs of the
\ngovernment, that the vice president would know more about the
\nreshuffle which involves shifting 24 personnel in the TNI
\nHeadquarters, 13 in the Army, 38 in the Navy and 19 in the Air
\nForce.<\/p>\n
\"The President doesn't need to involve himself in the
\npromotion of officers and posts below chief of staff,\" he said.
\n(02\/44)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/military-undergoes-major-leadership-reshuffle-1447893297",
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