New chiefs can be promoted to top TNI post: Spokesman

Tiarma Siboro, Then Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Newly appointed military chiefs of staff have a chance to be quickly promoted as commander of the Indonesian Military (TNI), replacing Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, according to a senior officer at the TNI headquarters.

TNI spokesman Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said on Tuesday that internal regulations state that new chiefs of staff can be promoted after three months on the job.

"It is possible that one of the three will be promoted to become the top military commander," Sjafrie told reporters on the sidelines of an unscheduled hearing between the TNI and the Regional Representatives Council.

The statement not only sends a message to lawmakers that current Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu is not the only candidate for TNI chief, but also highlights the growing competition between Endriartono and Ryamizard to influence the proceedings.

"The evaluation mechanism at the TNI headquarters says that the assessment of each officer is held every three months. Therefore, it will not be a problem for one of the new chiefs of staff to be promoted to a higher post after he passes the first evaluation," Sjafrie explained.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has been under pressure from the House of Representatives to replace Endriartono, who had actually tendered his resignation to then president Megawati Soekarnoputri, who then proposed Ryamizard -- known to be a staunch believer in her father Sukarno's nationalistic ideas.

But after assuming power in October, Susilo annulled Megawati's move and kept Endriartono on, a move that irked some lawmakers, who have said that Ryamizard is the only appropriate candidate for the job, considering his relatively young age and his experience as a chief of staff.

Sjafrie, however, dismissed speculation that Ryamizard would likely lose the chance to be promoted.

"Ryamizard still has a chance to be named because the law says that the President can pick officers who have experience as a chief of staff, which Ryamizard clearly does," he said.

All other current or former chiefs of staff are well past the mandatory retirement age.

The hardline Ryamizard, who is apparently not the President's first choice, will enter his mandatory retirement age in April, but the President can choose to extend their services for several years.

Endriartono has recently pushed for the reshuffle of the military chiefs of staff and proposed several names to the President.

"I have proposed names for the President and now it's in his hands," Endriartono said.

Previously, a source stated that Lt. Gen. Djoko Santoso had been proposed as the new Army Chief of Staff; Vice Adm. Djoko Soemaryono as the new Navy Chief of Staff and Rear Marshall Djoko Soeyanto as the new Air Force Chief of Staff. The President could announce the reshuffle this week, but it had not been confirmed.

Djoko Santoso is known to be a close ally of Susilo, and both were trained in the U.S.