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)