Military top brass deny generals plan to quit

Military top brass deny generals plan to quit

JAKARTA (JP): Top Indonesian Military (TNI) officers brushed
aside on Wednesday rumors of a resignation plan by several
generals over their disappointment with the latest reshuffle.

Speaking after swearing in new TNI Chief of General Affairs
Lt. Gen. Djamari Chaniago at the Armed Forces' Headquarters in
Cilangkap, East Jakarta, TNI Commander Adm. Widodo A.S. labeled
the rumors as unfounded.

"There are no generals quitting TNI, because I recognize them
as soldiers who wish to do their best regardless of their
positions," Widodo said.

Separately, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Tyasno Sudarto called the
reports a hoax, saying soldiers could not quit the service that
easy because the action would be a violation of their military
oaths and the military code of ethics.

"It is not true. Everything is okay and all the TNI top brass
in the reshuffle have accepted their removal," Tyasno said after
a transfer of duty from Army deputy chief Djamari to Lt. Gen.
Endriartono Sutarto, former chief of TNI's School of Command, at
the Army Headquarters on Jl. Merdeka Barat in Central Jakarta on
Wednesday.

But Tyasno said Army members could request an early
retirement, which would need the Army chief's approval and the
TNI chief's authorization.

In response to the House of Representatives legislators'
inquiry into the authenticity of the reports, Minister of Defense
Juwono Sudarsono said he was not well-informed on them.

"I don't know about them," Juwono said.

The recent round of major reshuffling in the military which
was announced on Feb. 28 saw the departure of Lt. Gen. Suaidi
Marasabessy and Lt. Gen. Djadja Suparman after only some three
months of service. Suaidi handed over his post to Djamari on
Wednesday, while Djadja will relinquish his post as Army
Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) chief to Maj. Gen. Agus
Wirahadikusumah on March 29.

Altogether there were 74 high-ranking officers affected by the
reshuffle.

Djadja, who was sworn in as Kostrad chief on Oct. 28, 1999,
has expressed his discontent with the tour of duty, complaining
he was not informed beforehand.

The swift replacements in TNI drew controversy and acrimonious
debate in the House Commission I for defense, foreign and
political affairs hearing with Juwono on Monday.

"Despite the President's prerogatives over the military, he
should no longer meddle with the military's internal affairs. The
last reshuffle has raised controversy among the public and the
military's elite because of the President's apparent
intervention," said Sutradara Gintings, a commission member of
the Unity and Justice faction.

Sutradara said the presidential prerogatives should be limited
to the promotion of TNI chief and that of Army, Navy and Air
Force, while commanders of other strategic positions should be
entrusted to military leaders.

"TNI will never be independent if the promotion of new
officials for strategic positions is intervened by sides outside
the military, including the President," he said.

Aisyah Amini, from the United Development Party (PPP), and
Sophan Sophiaan of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
(PDI Perjuangan) called for an established promotion system in
the military to avoid the President's intervention.

"We want the military to be independent and if the President
continues to intervene, we will go back to the system created by
the New Order regime and that would be a setback for our
democracy," said Aisyah.

Sophiaan said the House should resume the deliberation of the
bill on the presidency after the People's Consultative Assembly
completes the amendment of the 1945 Constitution, in order to
prevent the President's interference in the military.

But Juwono defended the President's intervention, saying that
amid the transition era, such a privilege was needed because of
the absence of a promotion system accepted nationwide by the
military and National Police.

Meanwhile, military observer Kusnanto Anggoro from the Center
for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Arbi Sanit and S.
Indro Tjahjono from the University of Indonesia (UI), said the
rumors of high-profile resignations served as a warning to TNI.

Kusnanto had the impression that some military top brass felt
uneasy about the constant criticism.

"There are some people in Cilangkap who feel that the reform
process is too meddlesome and adds insult to injury in making
them 'stepsons'.

"So it is not a matter of who is right or who is wrong. The
military is just not accustomed to the process," Kusnanto said.

He added the disappointment should give a message to both
military and civil elites that they "should exercise sensitivity
when dealing with each other".

Kusnanto believed that the wave of discontent with the
government could also spread among the soldiers and it would be
up to the military leaders to appease the tension.

"But I'm doubtful that they will act against the command line
even if the dissatisfaction is for their superiors," he said.

Casting aside the fear of any possible repercussions from the
rampant discontent, political observer Arbi Sanit belittled the
matter, saying that the number of disappointed generals was
small.

"Want to quit the military? Why not? Go ahead. Even in one
day, the TNI chief can promote others to replace them," Arbi told
reporters on the sidelines of a discussion on the solution of the
military paradigm in the civil society discourse.

Another observer, Indro Tjahjono, suggested that the rumors
confirmed the existence of factions within the military which
remain untouched by the reform movement.

"There is a group (of military personnel) who are status quo
supporters. But I don't think that's strange at all," he said.
(rms/emf)