ABRI to restructure its information center
JAKARTA (JP): The Armed Forces (ABRI) information center will soon be restructured and integrated with a similar center from the Ministry of Defense and Security.
Outgoing Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. A. Wahab Mokodongan told reporters that the move would increase the chief spokesperson's responsibilities.
"Therefore, the new post, namely the Armed Forces/Ministry of Defense and Security spokesperson, will be held by a two-star general (rather than a one-star general)," he said at a ceremony which saw Brig. Gen. Syamsul Ma'arif take over the post.
"The Armed Forces commander's decree, stipulating the new military rank for the chief spokesperson, was signed by ABRI Commander Gen. Wiranto on June 8," Wahab added.
He could not say when the process would be completed.
"The validation process is now going on," he said.
A unified body for both the Armed Forces' information department and the defense ministry's public relations department had been sought since Gen. Wiranto was appointed last month by President B.J. Habibie to head up both the Armed Forces and the defense ministry.
Censorship
Newly appointed Armed Forces spokesman Syamsul claimed that he would not censor the media since he regarded the practice as obsolete in the reform era.
"It's extremely outdated to apply a censorship approach against the mass media.
"I think it is more important to strike a common perception between both the mass media and the Armed Forces Headquarters," he said.
He nevertheless called on the media to be veracious in its reports and appropriate in its selection of news items.
He also asked journalists to avoid using difficult and contradictory words in their articles, adding that stories should be presented in a proper setting so as not to confuse people.
"Journalists should consider whether their stories will positively impact the reform movement or cause contradictions," he said.
Syamsul, a 1973 graduate of the National Military Academy, spent most of his military career in various territorial positions and military operations.
He headed the Surabaya Military Command in East Java in 1993 and was then appointed chief of staff of the East Java Brawijaya Regional Military Command in August 1995 prior to his current assignment.
The outgoing spokesman, Wahab, is a 1971 graduate of the National Military Academy and will soon assume an academic post at the National Resilience Institute (Lemhannas), the military's think tank, as a lecturer on ideology and political affairs. (imn)