New TNI chief to be installed on Friday

New TNI chief to be installed on Friday

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The uncertain future of former Army chief Gen. Endriartono
Sutarto may well be short-lived as President Megawati
Soekarnoputri has decided to install him as the new Indonesian
Military (TNI) Commander on Friday.

Endriartono said on Tuesday the President herself had informed
him the date of his inauguration as TNI chief replacing Adm.
Widodo A.S., who is retiring.

"As far as I know, the President will install me as the TNI
chief on Friday," Endriartono told reporters on the sidelines of
a rehearsal of a ceremony to mark the official transfer of duty
from him to his successor Lt. Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu at the
Senayan parking lot in Central Jakarta.

A presidential protocol official said on Tuesday Megawati was
slated to install Endriartono at 9 a.m. on Friday.

Earlier in the day Endriartono attended the swearing-in of
Ryamizard by Megawati as the new Army Chief of Staff at the State
Palace. Ryamizard is the outgoing chief of the Army's Strategic
Reserves Command (Kostrad).

Breaking the usual practice, Widodo issued on Monday a decree
to withdraw Endriartono to TNI Headquarters as a senior officer
without portfolio, pending his inauguration by the President as
the new TNI chief.

It remains unknown why Megawati left Endriartono, who the she
had named as the sole candidate for TNI chief post, waiting. The
House had unanimously approved Endriartono's nomination for the
military's top job.

Meanwhile, the TNI High Ranking Promotions and Duty Rotation
Board (Wanjakti) decided on Monday night to appoint Jakarta
Military commander Maj. Gen. Bibit Waluyo, a 1972 Military
Academy graduate, the new Kostrad chief and Maj. Gen. Sumarsono,
the incumbent Kostrad chief of staff, the deputy Army chief
replacing Lt. Gen. Kiki Syahnakrie.