Mega asked to pick younger officer as TNI chief
Viva Goldner, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Noted military observer A. Hasnan Habib urged President Megawati Soekarnoputri on Tuesday to appoint a younger officer to the post of Indonesian Military (TNI) chief, saying the three current and one former chiefs of staff lacked the progressive outlook required to end TNI's dual political and military function.
Hasnan also noted the advanced age of the four candidates for the top post, including Navy chief Adm. Indroko Sastrowiryono, Air Force Marshall Hanafie Asnan, former Army chief Gen. Tyasno Sudarto, and current army chief Gen. Entriartono Sutarto, who reaches the mandatory retirement age of 55 in April this year.
The current laws require Megawati, in her capacity as the supreme military commander, to appoint the military chief from among current and former chiefs of staff of the Army, Navy or Air Force.
Hasnan expressed worries over the increasingly powerful position of TNI under President Megawati's administration, which according to him raised concerns for the future of the military's internal reforms.
TNI's socio-political roles were significantly reduced following the forced resignation of former dictator Soeharto in May 1998, but recent developments showed that the military were fighting back vigorously to regain their old powers.
During the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) session in 1999, the military successfully lobbied for the extension of their presence in both the House of Representatives (DPR) and MPR until 2009 from 2004 previously.
Before and during the MPR extraordinary session that impeached former president Abdurrahman Wahid in July 2001, the military leadership often issued statements tantamount to insubordination.
The re-establishment of the Iskandar Muda Regional Military Command in Aceh (Kodam) this month is also indicative of the military's strong influence in the Megawati government.
"With the external threat looking very insignificant, and the army again concentrating its efforts and energy on providing domestic security, then inevitably it will be involved in internal politics," Hasnan said.
He said the existence of the military regional commands was a cause for concern as these commands were used by Soeharto to maintain the political status quo during his 32-year reign, at the expense of individual liberty and democracy.
Hasnan was also concerned over last week's reshuffle of 118 high-ranking TNI officers, in particular the appointment of Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin as head of the military information center (Puspen TNI).
"Sjafrie's name has been tarnished, so he must be given the opportunity to clear his name through the judicial process. But he has refused to cooperate with the Commission of Inquiry into Human Rights Violations (KPP HAM)," Hasnan said.
"Before his name is cleared, it is not wise to give him a new position in the armed forces, especially as the spokesperson for the TNI because he has to communicate the ideas of the TNI as an institution when he himself is still not out of the woods."
Sjafrie is accused of numerous human rights violations during his time as Jakarta's military commander under Soeharto's New Order regime, including the shooting deaths of four Trisakti University students, and the subsequent May 1998 riots.
According to Hasnan, the refusal of Sjafrie and other high ranking officers to comply with the summonses of KPP HAM signaled the TNI's disregard for the establishment of democratic institutions.