JP/4/KOSTRAD

JP/4/KOSTRAD

Kostrad gets new chief

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu (left) relinquishes
the command baton to the new chief of the Army Strategic Reserves
Command (Kostrad), Lt. Gen. Hadi Waluyo. in a ceremony held on
Wednesday at the Kostrad headquarters, Central Jakarta.

Hadi, a 1972 graduate of the Armed Forces Academy (Akabri) and
was a classmate of predecessor Lt. Gen. Bibit Waluyo, was
inducted into his new post in a ceremony held on Wednesday at
Kostrad headquarters in Central Jakarta. Hadi has also served as
the Military Education and Training Command (Kodiklat) chief in
Bandung, West Java.

Bibit retired on Aug. 5 upon reaching the mandatory retirement
age of 55, and Ryamizard took charge of the Army's elite force
pending the appointment of Bibit's successor.

The hand-over ceremony came amid a dispute between Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono, the supreme commander of the Indonesian
Military (TNI) in his capacity as president, and lawmakers over
who should replace TNI chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto.

Susilo recently revoked a letter issued by Megawati
Soekarnoputri in her final days in office that endorsed Ryamizard
as the new TNI chief.

However, legislators -- mostly those affiliated with the
Golkar-led Nationhood Coalition -- ignored Susilo's move and has
pushed for a discussion over the military leadership.

"I have been summoned by the House of Representatives to face
a fit-and-proper-test (on Thursday) that will determine whether I
am qualified for the top TNI post or not.

"But I have left the matter to my superiors, namely the
current TNI chief and the President," said Ryamizard.

Kostrad has a 29,000-strong force and is thus the largest
military unit in the armed forces. Previous Kostrad chiefs
include former authoritarian leader Soeharto and former
presidential candidate Gen. (ret) Wiranto. -- JP