A day in the life of Jakarta's military chief

The man assigned the daunting job of safeguarding the capital for this year's General Session is Jakarta Military Commander Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, who until last September was the Command's chief of staff. Ivy Susanti of The Jakarta Post joined the commander and his entourage on one of their rounds to inspect his subordinates' preparations.

JAKARTA (JP): Dark clouds shielded sunbeams as a small convoy set out from the Jakarta Military Command in East Jakarta, heading toward several sections of the city.

The convoy, led by the command's top officer, Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, moved swiftly along the highway Friday morning, heading west to Senayan Stadium in Central Jakarta where a task force was waiting.

"It's routine. The commander is maintaining the morale of his personnel," said command spokesman Lt. Col. DJ. Nachrowi.

At the post, Sjafrie inspected the motorized personnel responsible for guarding the city's streets. He went on to observe a robot designed to help remove explosive materials.

"This robot is called Jihandak, an acronym for Penjinak Bahan Peledak (bomb defuser). It can be controlled from as far as 400 meters from a closed room and 1,000 meters away in an open area," Sjafrie said.

The commander was then briefed on security plans behind closed doors, with, among others, City Police chief Maj. Gen. Hamami Nata.

Afterwards, the convoy drove through heavy rain to the Palmerah Police Subprecinct in West Jakarta before arriving at Hotel Indonesia, which is one of the hotels housing members of the People's Consultative Assembly.

Monitoring the details was, said Sjafrie, a must in maintaining his men's morale, and was his share in the teamwork.

"I manage everything (in the operation)," said Sjafrie, whose curriculum vitae reveals that he holds a masters degree in business administration. "I firmly hold to the basic principle of organizations (by) giving the commands and delegating authority and span of control."

"I also pay attention to their military discipline, their welfare and their esprit de corps. I always check individual capabilities and also their morale," he said.

The youthful-looking father of two teenagers, now responsible for the physical security of the city's 10 million inhabitants, maintained a cheerful pose.

"I don't feel weighed down (by the task) because I trust my personnel," he said.

Sjafrie said the Armed Forces had deployed about one-third or 25,000 of its 78,000 Jakarta personnel to maintain order and security during the session which kicks off today.

If all the armored vehicles and men in uniform scattered around have made people tense, Sjafrie said, the preparations were only what was needed for a "defensive, but active security protection measure" against all possible threats.

Sjafrie added he was confident that the General Session would run smoothly given his well-planned operation.

"In carrying out a task, a soldier is not familiar with the word doubt or anxiety."

Born on Oct. 30, 1952 in Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi, Sjafrie started his military career in the Army's Special Force in 1975, one year after he graduated from the Military Academy. He held the rank of second lieutenant and was appointed a platoon leader in the Special Force's Group One.

"I like being a soldier. I was brought up in a military environment (including family members) but I actually was never forced to be a soldier," he said.

Sjafrie was promoted to various positions including the intelligence officer at Group One before being installed as the commander of the Presidential Security Guard Unit.

From 1975 to 1992, he was involved in military operations in East Timor, Irian Jaya and Aceh. He was appointed President Soeharto's personal guard in 1993.

In 1996, he was posted as the chief of staff of the Jakarta Military Command and was assigned to secure the 1997 general election.

Sjafrie was then appointed the city military commander on Sept. 24, 1997, replacing Maj. Gen. Sutiyoso, who is now Jakarta's governor.

At 45, Sjafrie is the youngest officer who graduated from the Military Academy to hold the rank of two-star general and the post of Jakarta military commander at the same time.

Sjafrie has received many awards, including the Satya Lencana Wira Karya given to any citizen considered to be an example to others, and the Satya Lencana Seroja and Veteran Timor Timur military medals.

With all of his awards and his assignment to lead the Jakarta Military Command, Sjafrie has gained national attention. But he knows that predicting one's career in the military is futile.

Previous circumstances add to the prominence of his position. Some former Jakarta military commanders have risen to various high-ranking positions. Among those who moved on to top jobs are former vice president Gen. (ret) Umar Wirahadikusumah and incumbent vice president Gen. (ret) Try Sutrisno.

Sjafrie's predecessor, Maj. Gen. Sutiyoso, became the Jakarta governor, who in turned replaced governor Lt. Gen. Surjadi Soedirja, also a former Jakarta military commander.

Another former commander, Lt. Gen. AM. Hendropriyono, is now a secretary of development operations, while Gen. Wiranto, who was Jakarta military commander from 1994 to 1996, is now the Armed Forces commander.

But Sjafrie says: "The most important thing is to prepare myself for any upcoming responsibility. I have to get prepared first before being trusted to do something and not the opposite."

Sjafrie is married to Etty Sudiyati and has two children. The first son, M. Ben Riadi, or Benny, is 16 and now attends a high school in Australia. Their daughter, Siti Benita, 13, is studying at Pelita Harapan junior high school in Tangerang. Both are lucky to have scholarships, Sjafrie said.

Sjafrie said his family was accustomed to being independent and that they never complained about his frequent absences.

"It's difficult for me to distinguish between happiness and distress. Everything's just normal. Even my wife never feels herself as a commander's wife," he said.

"It's common (for the family) if I don't return home ... When I was posted in the eastern region ... I just called home."

But he added somewhat wistfully: "I wasn't there when both my children were born." When Benny was born, he was out of the country. When Siti Benita was delivered by Caesarean, he was guarding the President.

"My wife had to sign all the papers herself," he said.

When the day of rounds and briefings came to a close, Sjafrie was still the commander.

"Hi Panglima! (Commander). How are the bomb plans in Tangerang?" says Sjafrie quoting his daughter.

"She asks that because she is studying in Tangerang," he said.