House backs Endriartono's nomination as TNI chief
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
To the surprise of many, the House of Representatives (DPR) has sent a letter of approval to President Megawati Soekarnoputri saying that it supported Army Chief of Staff Gen. Endriartono Sutarto's nomination as chief of the Indonesian Military (TNI), replacing Adm. Widodo A.S.
A Golkar legislator from the House's Commission I on political and security affairs, Yasril Ananta Baharuddin, confirmed on Monday that the approval was sent immediately after House Speaker Akbar Tandjung received Commission 1's recommendation last Thursday.
Yasril said that the House leaders required no approval from a plenary session because the commission had evaluated the "vision and mission" of Endriartono on Wednesday.
"The recommendation of Commission I is important. We've been tasked with assessing the performance of the candidate," he told The Jakarta Post.
Deputy chairman of the commission Ishak Latuconsina acknowledged that the commission had endorsed the nomination of Endriartono.
"A plenary session will only be a formality to hear the House's approval because the decision has been made. That's all," Ishak added.
By securing the House's approval, Endriartono will likely only need Megawati's signature to be the next TNI chief.
Endriartono was named military chief candidate by Megawati in a letter sent to the House on May 10. At a plenary session on May 13, the House assigned Commission I to determine if the Army chief of staff was fit and proper to lead the military.
During Wednesday's hearing, Endriartono pledged that he would improve the welfare of low-ranking soldiers.
He said the future challenges faced by the nation would consist of the transition to democracy, regional autonomy, law enforcement, decentralization, and the advocacy for civil society.
He emphasized that the current transitional process to democracy needed serious supervision, so that it would remain on the right track.
Deputy House speaker A.M. Fatwa said that the House was not in a position to reject the nomination because there was only one candidate.
Endriartono, born in the Central Java town of Purworejo on April 29, 1947, and who graduated from the Army Academy in 1971, was appointed the Army deputy chief in March 2000 and promoted to his current job in October 2000.
Endriartono's nomination had drawn criticism because he should have reached his mandatory retirement age of 55 on April. But Adm. Widodo extended Endriatono's office term until 2007.
The next question will be who will be the next person to lead the Army. Army's Strategic Reserves (Kostrad) Commander Lt. Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu and TNI Chief of General Affairs Lt. Gen. Djamari Chaniago have risen to the surface as possible replacement for Endriartono.