Kostrad suffers from complicated bureaucracy

Kostrad suffers from complicated bureaucracy

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Departing from its usual custom, the Army bid farewell on Tuesday
to its Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) chief, Lt. Gen. Bibit
Waluyo, without naming a successor.

Pending Bibit's replacement, Army Chief of Staff Gen.
Ryamizard Ryacudu will take charge of the elite force, which
boasts nearly 30,000 troops. Ryamizard also named Kostrad chief
of staff Maj. Gen. Saril Tanjung as acting executive commander of
Kostrad.

Ryamizard blamed the vacuum of power in Kostrad on the slow
pace of military bureaucracy.

"The Army has actually completed its promotion and rotation
process and submitted the names of several officers for
assignment to new posts, including that of the Kostrad commander,
to Indonesian Military (TNI) headquarters. Now, we are waiting
for their approval." Ryamizard said after the ceremony marking
the stepping down of the Kostrad commander.

Kostrad has been playing a major role in the ongoing military
operation to quell the separatist movement in Aceh.

Bibit reached the mandatory retirement age of 55 on Aug. 5.
His classmate in the Military Academy, former Indonesian Military
Police chief Maj. Gen. (ret) Sulaiman A.B., who was born on the
same date as Bibit, retired two months ago and was replaced by
Maj. Gen. Ruchian.

Ryamizard was Kostrad commander before he took over as Army
chief from Gen. Endiartono Sutarto, who was promoted to TNI chief
in 2000.

A military source said the chief of the Brawijaya Military
Command responsible for military affairs in East Java, Maj. Gen.
Ahmad Djunaidi Sikki, and Kostrad Chief of Staff Saril have been
named as candidates to take over from Bibit.

Military analyst J. Kristiadi of the Centre for Strategic and
International Studies (CSIS) blamed the unusual situation on the
bureaucratic mind-set of President Megawati Soekarnoputri's
government.

"We all know that the President has been busy over the past
few months trying to get herself reelected. This probably
affected the workings of the TNI's senior officers' promotion and
rotation council," Kristiadi told The Jakarta Post.

The council usually convenes three times a year to discuss
promotions and rotations among the TNI's top brass. The ensuing
reshuffles are then announced in February, June and October.

Another military analyst, Salim Said, praised the TNI for
refraining from deciding on strategic policies at a time when the
country was set to experience a change in national leadership.

"The transfer of power from the outgoing Kostrad chief (Bibit)
to the Army chief is purely an administrative matter. Pak Bibit
has to retire and it is uncommon for the TNI to extend the
service of pensionable officers," Salim said.

Only the TNI chief may avail of an extended term, as happened
in the case of Sutarto and his predecessor, Adm. (ret) Widodo
Adisucipto.

"When the TNI Military Police chief Sulaiman was replaced, the
military did not expect Megawati to lose in the election. They
are now waiting for the new president to approve the officer who
will fill this strategic post," Salim said.

The appointment of four-star military officers and upwards
requires presidential consent.

Salim, however, admitted that never in the Army's history had
the top job in Kostrad been held by the Army chief merely because
a replacement was not available.

"But it won't last long because one of the candidates for the
post will be quickly approved by the new president," Salim said.

TNI spokesman Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin admitted that the
TNI senior officers' promotion and rotation council planned to
convene after Oct. 5.

"The TNI is supposed to conduct a reshuffle three times a
year, but with the election season having lasted eight months,
starting in April, we have been busy providing security for
political events, and have tended to neglect our own affairs,"
Sjafrie said.

The next president will be sworn in on Oct. 20.

With nearly 115 million of the estimated 125 million votes
counted on Tuesday, front-runner Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono still
enjoys an unassailable lead of 61 percent of the vote, compared
to Megawati's 39 percent.