Endriartono and TNI reform

Endriartono and TNI reform

Along with the return of the House of Representatives from its
recess last Monday, President Megawati Soekarnoputri nominated
one candidate to become the new Indonesian Military (TNI)
commander, replacing TNI chief Adm. Widodo A.S.

Megawati's nomination is Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, who is
currently the Army chief of staff.

The question is whether Endriartono can move TNI toward the
required reforms? A number of social critics -- particularly from
non-governmental organizations -- are doubtful that Endriartono
is capable to bring about reform, and even more interestingly,
they question whether Endriartono even intends to try and bring
about reform.

Endriartono is seen as having done remarkably little to reform
the Army. For example, he has been judged to have been unhelpful
when several former Army generals refused to cooperate with the
investigation into allegations of human rights abuses in the
Trisakti and Semanggi cases.

Further, Endriartono is seen as close to the Soehartos because
he was once the chief of the presidential guards for former
president Soeharto. It is feared he will hamper efforts to bring
New Order cronies to court.

With Megawati's nomination of Endriartono, these social
critics have concluded that the President only wants to preserve
her power. Endriartono is considered as being from the non-
reformist camp of the TNI, meaning that Megawati, with his
nomination, is believed to have made a political deal to ensure
her power at the expense of military reform.

-- Republika, Jakarta