Lumintang appointed Defense Ministry's Secretary General

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Defense Mahfud MD installed on Tuesday the former governor of the National Resilience Institute (Lemhannas) Lt. Gen. Johny J. Lumintang as the ministry's secretary general, replacing Lt. Gen. Sugiono.

Johny will be replaced by Ermaya Suradinata. The installment of Ermaya, currently Directorate General for National Integration at the Ministry of Home Affairs and Regional Autonomy, will take place on Thursday.

The outgoing secretary general, Sugiono, will become a high officer at the TNI headquarters.

"The reshuffle is something usual and has become part of our institution's life," Mahfud said.

"What is special in today's reshuffle is, the hand-over and installment of the officials is heavily related to the reorganization of the defense ministry," Mahfud said during the inauguration ceremony.

He announced that the ministry now has five directorate generals, instead of three.

"Based on Presidential Decree No. 165/2000, the ministry of defense has been expanded, from three directorate generals to five...

"The reorganization is a must in efforts to boost the ministry in carrying out governmental duties in the defense area," Mahfud said.

Former Indonesian military spokesman Maj. Gen. Sudrajat was named the director general of defense strategy.

Rear Admiral Bambang Murgiyanto, formerly a personal assistant to the Navy chief of staff, was appointed directorate general of defense potency; Rear Marshal Lambert F. Silooy, a former personal assistant to the Air Force chief of staff, was named the new director general of defense force; Maj. Gen. Aqlani Maza, a former expert staff to the Ministry of Defense, was the new director general of defense facility.

The only civilian who was promoted to the top position was Mas Widjaja, a former treasurer at the Finance Ministry. He will hold the post of director general of defense system planning.

Mahfud also installed a former chairman of National Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Soefjan Tsauri, as chairman of the ministry's research and development section.

The ministry used to have three directorate generals: directorate general of general planning and budget; directorate general of materials, facilities, and services; and directorate general of human resources. Heads of these three directorate generals, respectively rear Adm. Gofar Soewarno, Maj. Gen. Supardi S.A., and rear Marshal Bachrudin, are now posted as high officers at the TNI headquarters. (02)