Maj. Gen. Sutiyoso takes governor's oath today

JAKARTA (JP): Today, Sutiyoso, an Army major general who recently vacated his post as Jakarta Military Commander, is scheduled to be installed as the eighth governor of the city.

Winning more than 80 percent of city councilors' votes during the gubernatorial election last month and currently holding President Soeharto's approval for the position, the 52-year-old has vowed not to disappoint Jakartans.

"I'll do my best and try not to dissatisfy Jakartans," Sutiyoso has repeatedly said since being voted in for the five- year term.

Despite his extensive experience and knowledge of the military, Sutiyoso realizes that a mammoth number of challenges await him at City Hall, on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan in Central Jakarta.

"I know there are many challenges to become a Jakarta governor. But I like challenges and I'm sure I can handle them," Sutiyoso, an executive of many associations -- such as the Indonesian Shooting and Hunting Association, Indonesian Basketball Association and Jakarta Bird Lovers Association -- said.

Hope

The 9.7 million people living in the capital will, of course, hope that Sutiyoso can do even better than his predecessor, Surjadi Soedirdja, whose astounding efforts included an antinepotism campaign, crackdown on discipline and the forging of a close relationship with low-income people.

Among the matters which people expect the new governor to deal with are: solving the city's chronic and chaotic traffic problems; developing Jakarta into one of the great cities in the world; reducing the unemployment rate and the social gap between the poor and rich.

Jakartans also hope that Sutiyoso can continue Surjadi's work in simplifying many of the city's complicated procedures and improving officials' services to the people.

In his hands also rests the "fate" of some of the city's long- awaited projects, such as the construction of a US$2.3 billion subway, the waterfront city in the north Jakarta Bay and an international shopping and tourist belt along Jl. Prof. Satrio in South Jakarta.

All these projects are expected to boost Jakarta's image as a service city.

Sutiyoso's strong stance against those who intend to take over the city's green spaces for commercial sites is also expected to preserve the city's water catchment areas and prevent environmental degradation in the future.

Many also expected that Sutiyoso will be strict in imposing the city plan to prevent further overlapping of developments here.

The two-star general has assured the public that he will not ignore good city programs introduced by his predecessor.

In a meeting with reporters yesterday, Sutiyoso promised to continue Surjadi's programs and, if necessary, try to improve them.

He also vowed to imitate Surjadi's style, which was praised by many people, such as punishing undisciplined staff and routinely visiting slum areas.

"I commend Surjadi's style in developing Jakarta," Sutiyoso once said. "I will follow his style and those of other former Jakarta governors which I think are good for the city."

Due to his 12 years of military experience in the city, he said: "I really know the detail of Jakarta's complex problems."

Accomplishments

During his assignment as Jakarta Military Commander for about 18 months, Sutiyoso recorded remarkable achievements in securing and maintaining stability in the city, including the May 29 general election.

Sutiyoso, who dreamed of being a military officer since he was a child, also had a major role in restoring order after massive riots erupted on July 27 last year following the violent takeover of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) headquarter on Jl. Diponegoro, Central Jakarta.

While Chief of Military Resort in Bogor, West Java, he had his first experience in securing an international event: a meeting of top leaders from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in 1994.

Sutiyoso, who married Setyo Rini in 1974 and now has two daughters -- Yessi Riana Dilliyanti, 22, and Renny Yofnita Arianto, 17 -- was installed as the 13th Jakarta Military Commander in March 1996, replacing the current Army Chief of Staff Gen. Wiranto.

In 1987, while he was a colonel, Sutiyoso was appointed as personnel assistant to the Army's special force, Kopassus, and later operational assistant.

In 1991, he was assigned to the Strategic Army Reserves Command (Kostrad) as an operational assistant.

As a special forces officer, Sutiyoso, who was born on Dec. 6, 1944, in Semarang, was involved in many military operations throughout the country. These operations included: PGRS (Serawak People's Guerrilla Force)/ Paraku in Kalimantan, Seroja in East Timor, Flamboyan and Aceh Merdeka in Aceh.

His repeated successes led to his appointment as deputy commander of Kopassus from 1992 to 1993.

After graduating from the Army Staff and Command School in 1984, Sutiyoso went on to complete studies at the Joint Services' Staff and Command School in 1990 and the National Resilience Institute in 1993.

He also attended the Joint Service Staff College in Canberra, Australia from 1989 to 1990. He underwent job training in two famous airborne units: the Brigade V Airborne in Arnhem, England in 1987 and the 82nd Airborne division at Fort Bragg in the United States in 1991 -- where he was appointed deputy commander.

His astonishing military record, however, neither makes Sutiyoso -- who refers to himself as a village boy -- arrogant nor does he think he can do everything to meet the future challenges of Jakarta.

"To fulfill my new duty, I badly need the support of all Jakartans, including members of the press," he said.

Welcome aboard, Pak Gubernur! (ste)