Agus, Saurip may face disciplinary charges

JAKARTA (JP): Controversial Army officers Lt. Gen. Agus Wirahadikusumah and Maj. Gen. Saurip Kadi may soon face disciplinary action, as rumors swirl that the pair will be brought before an Officers Honorary Council.

Both men were summoned by the Army leadership on Tuesday to explain their recent actions: Agus for being absent without leave (AWOL) and Saurip for publishing a book about the military's activities without the Army's permission.

They were questioned by Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Endiartono Sutarto, the assistant for security affairs to the chief of staff, Maj. Gen. ID Putu Rai, and the assistant for personnel affairs, Maj. Gen. Suprapto.

Agus lost his post as chief of the Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) in August in the middle of an investigation into allegations of corruption in the command by his predecessors.

Saurip was the assistant for territorial affairs to the Army chief of staff until April, when he lost his post amid rumors that he took part in a clandestine meeting to plan massive changes in the military leadership.

Brig. Gen. FX Bachtiar, chief spokesman for the Army, confirmed the two men answered summonses on Tuesday, but declined to say whether an Officers Honorary Council would be called to follow up the questioning.

He dismissed speculation the questioning of the two generals was politically motivated, stressing that this was part of the Army's efforts to establish discipline among officers.

An Army source, however, said an honorary council had been set up and its lineup would be announced next week.

According to unconfirmed media reports, 46 Army generals signed a petition threatening to resign en masse if Agus was appointed to replace Gen. Tyasno Sudarto as Army chief of staff.

In Yogyakarta, Minister of Defense Muh. Mahfud M.D. said on Saturday President Abdurrahman Wahid might announce the names of several new chiefs of staff on Monday.

Declining to reveal the names, Mahfud said Agus would not be among the new appointees.

"Who is Agus anyway? Why should anyone be afraid of him? He is nothing," he said.

Agus has denied any wrongdoing, telling The Jakarta Post on Friday his recent trip to the United States to attend his son's graduation from Ohio State University was made with the knowledge of his superiors in the Army.

The 1973 graduate of the National Military Academy admitted, however, the documents approving his leave were not ready when he left the country on Aug. 22.

Besides charging him with being AWOL, several Army generals have accused him of using his visit to the United States to lobby for the top Army post in Washington and attempting to meet with President Abdurrahman, who was in New York to attend the UN Millennium Summit.

Agus called the allegations slanderous. "I swear in the name of God that I was not in the U.S. for political lobbying. You may ask the military attache at the Indonesian Embassy in Washington, who was with me most of the time I was there."

Agus said he also was questioned by the Army leadership about his decision to send a company of Kostrad troops to Bengkulu without first coordinating with military headquarters when the province was struck by a massive earthquake in June.

Regarding this charge, Agus said he had delegated the authority to coordinate with headquarters to his chief of staff Maj. Gen. SN Suwisma.

Many military observers agree that Agus stepped on many people's toes, including when he exposed the alleged Rp 189 billion corruption in a Kostrad foundation before the investigation was completed.

He denied this charge, saying at the time he was only responding to questions from journalists about the progress of the investigation.

"Should I hide from the public the irregularities and corruption that occurred in the foundation?" Agus asked.

Separately, Saurip said he had done nothing improper in publishing the book TNI dan Masa Depan (TNI and the Future) without the permission of Army headquarters.

He said numerous books were published by active and retired officers without the Army's authorization.

His book, which examines the Army's alleged involvement in several controversial events in the past, including the murders of labor activist Marsinah and journalist Udin, is now being examined by the Army Directorate of Law, which will determine whether its publication violated regulations. (02/swa)