TNI deputy commander<\/p>\n
The swearing in and installation of Admiral Widodo AS as
\ndeputy commander of the Indonesian Military (TNI) by President
\nB.J. Habibie has brought about many unfavorable opinions about
\nthe reinstitution of this position. Some people are of the
\nopinion that it is intended to serve the political needs of the
\nTNI more than to fulfill the national defense and security's
\ndemand. Some others believe that the reinstitution of this
\nposition is part of a preparation to smooth Wiranto's way into
\nthe vice presidential seat. Still others think that this is only
\nan attempt to cover up Wiranto's inability to deal with the
\nnational security condition in the run-up to the general session
\nof the People's Consultative Assembly. Of course, there are many
\nother opinions which are more or less the same in nature.<\/p>\n
Regardless of whether these opinions are correct or not, as a
\nlayman not well-versed in politics, I believe that the
\nreinstitution of the deputy commander of the TNI was the best
\nstep taken by TNI leaders in dealing with the nation's problems,
\nwhich are assuming greater complexity, in the present reform era.
\nObviously, the position's reinstitution is based on the fact that
\nthe commander of the TNI has yet to optimize the performance of
\nhis tasks and exercise his authority related with operational
\nfunctions and that the presence of a deputy will lead to optimum
\nresults of these. Besides, TNI is a dynamic organization and the
\nreinstitution of a deputy is evidence of this dynamism, which may
\nbe regarded as part of TNI's internal reform in aspects related
\nto its structure, doctrine, policies and strategies, moral ethics
\nof soldiers and leadership. The basic task of the TNI is to
\nprotect and safeguard various national interests, protect and
\ndefend the integrity of national territory from the threat of
\nhostile aggression from other countries, prevent or reduce the
\nimpact of regional damage as a result of acts taken by enemies
\nand fulfill international obligations.<\/p>\n
The choice of Admiral Widodo AS as the present deputy
\ncommander of the TNI is only natural because in terms of
\npersonnel, the navy comes second after the ground forces. It
\nshould also be kept in mind that two-thirds of Indonesia's
\nterritory is made up of sea. As Indonesia has more territorial
\nwater than land the following must always be taken into
\nconsideration:<\/p>\n
(i) Unless the territorial waters are well-managed and
\ncontrolled they will be vulnerable to incursions and smuggling
\nattempts. (Various kinds of drugs and pornographic VCDs can be
\neasily smuggled in by sea.)<\/p>\n
(ii) Vast territorial waters mean Indonesia's sea potential
\nmay generate huge amounts of foreign exchange if they are
\nproperly managed and tapped.<\/p>\n
These two factors explain why the position of deputy commander
\nof the TNI is entrusted to Admiral Widodo AS.<\/p>\n
MUCHIBIN<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/tni-deputy-commander-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }