Major TNI reshuffle announced

Major TNI reshuffle announced

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Military (TNI) unveiled on Friday
the third major reshuffle within eight months of the new
government.

A total of 122 middle and senior officers with several notable
figures in the Army, including five regional military commanders,
the Army's territorial assistant and Army's Special Force
(Kopassus) commander, were promoted, rotated or given no
assignments ahead of their retirement.

According to a decree signed by TNI Commander Adm. Widodo A.S.
on June 14, the reshuffle took effect on June 1.

The previous major reshuffle took place last November,
following the inauguration of the Cabinet of President
Abdurrahman, which included three active generals. The second
happened at the end of February, which many speculated was a move
to weaken the camp of former TNI chief Gen. (ret) Wiranto.

The latest shake-up in the military came on the heels of
circulating rumors of a conspiracy involving a group of Army and
civilian figures to accelerate their promotion in TNI for their
interests. TNI top brass, including Widodo, denied the rumors.

But Friday's reshuffle raised many eyebrows as one name linked
to the group, Maj. Gen. Saurip Kadi, vacated his post as the
territorial assistant to Army chief of staff. He was moved to the
TNI Headquarters as an unassigned officer.

Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) chief of staff Maj.
Gen. Sang Nyoman Suwisma was named Saurip's replacement.

A document on the alleged conspiracy says Saurip hosted the
group's gathering on April 16, which he clarified later as a
meeting to celebrate his promotion.

Other figures named in the document, including Army Chief of
Staff Gen. Tyasno Sudarto, Kostrad chief Lt. Agus Wirahadikusumah
and former secretary of government supervision Bondan Gunawan
dismissed the reports.

The latest TNI shake-up also saw the much-awaited removal of
Maj. Gen. Syahrir M.S. as the Army's Special Force (Kopassus)
commander. He was given a low-key assignment as the operational
assistant to the Army chief of staff.

Brig. Gen Amirul Isnaini, previously the deputy to the Army
assistant of security affairs, won the promotion to fill the top
post in the elite force.

There were changes in five regional military commands,
including those overseeing the restive provinces of Maluku and
Aceh.

The Patimurra Military commander overseeing Maluku, Brig. Gen.
Max Tamaela, was replaced by Col. I Made Yasa from Bali. Yasa
will join Maluku Police chief Brig. Gen. Dewa Astika, of Balinese
descent, who is in charge of security in the riot-stricken
territory.

Tamaela was promoted as the commander of the Army's Center for
Territorial Affairs. President Abdurrahman Wahid said he intended
to remove Tamaela in January this year, due to complaints of
alleged siding with one of the warring groups in Maluku.

Maj. Gen. Affandi, chief of the Bukit Barisan Military Command
overseeing Aceh, North and West Sumatra and Riau, was replaced by
Maj. Gen. I Gede Purnawa, also a Balinese Hindu. Affandi will be
assigned as a House of Representatives legislator representing
the TNI/National Police faction.

Joining Affandi at the House will be Maj. Gen. Slamet
Supriyadi, who relinquished his post at Siliwangi Military
Command overseeing West Java. Maj. Gen. Zainuri Hasyim, the
current chief of the Tanjungpura Military Command overseeing
Kalimantan, will take over from Slamet.

Zainuri will hand over his post as Tanjungpura Military
Command to Maj. Gen. Djoko Besariman, the current commander of
the TNI Staff and Command School.

Djoko will transfer his nonterritorial post to Maj. Gen. Bibit
Waluyo, the current chief of Diponegoro Military Command
overseeing Central Java. Brig. Gen. Sumarsono will fill in
Bibit's shoes.

Another major change included the promotion of Maj. Gen. Amir
Sembiring as chief of the Army Training School from his current
position as the operational assistant to the Army chief of staff.

The highest ranked officers affected by the reshuffle were
Navy deputy chief of staff Vice Adm. Mudjito, who is entering
retirement, and Army Training School Commander Lt. Gen. Sumardi.

Mudjito will be replaced by Rear Adm. Indroko Sastro Wiryono,
the current commander of Navy Western Fleet.

TNI spokesman Rear Air Marshall Graito Usodo, before
distributing copies of the reshuffle document to journalists,
said the shake-up was merely aimed at complying with the
organizational needs and personnel development in TNI.

Meanwhile in Surabaya, Widodo played down the massive
reshuffle, saying it was just a regular tour of duty without any
political motives behind it.

"Reshuffles in TNI are not an extraordinary thing and it could
happen anytime. There is no need to speculate on it," Widodo told
Antara.

He asserted that the shake-up was conducted according to the
standard procedures in the military and were a part of TNI's
efforts to enhance professionalism among soldiers. (dja)