NEWSANALYSIS

TNI chief appointment: When political and national interests collide

Imanuddin Razak The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

The Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Gen. Endriartono Sutarto's term in office has been extended twice. He has also tendered his resignation for the second time earlier this month.

According to Law No. 34/2004 on the military, his term cannot be extended further as he will be 58 in April, the maximum authorized age for a high-ranking TNI officer.

The question will then be who ought to succeed Endriartono as commander, especially after the TNI headquarters has explained that the opportunity to be named as the military's top position is open to not only the most senior officer Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu, the former Army Chief of Staff, but also the three newly appointed chiefs of staff -- Lt. Gen. Djoko Santoso of the Army, Vice Adm. Slamet Soebiyanto of the Navy and Vice Marshal Djoko Soeyanto of the Air Force.

Prior to the reshuffle of the military chiefs of staff, Ryamizard was apparently the only eligible candidate for the top post at the TNI headquarters, as the qualifications are that the commander must have held a chief of staff post and be under the retirement age.

However, the latest statement from TNI headquarters has not made it clear who the next commander will be, or when the President will name him.

All four officers apparently have an equal chance as Article 13 of the Law No. 34/2004 stipulates that the President can only pick active senior officers who hold or have held at least a post of chief of staff as TNI commander.

Recently, it has been suggested that new Army chief of staff Djoko Santoso could get the nod. His relatively noncontroversial track record and media-shy style could make him the top contender. Foreign governments also seem to appreciate his diplomatic approach on many cases.

His style is completely different from his predecessor Ryamizard, who is politically controversial due to his no-quarter-given attitude and tough nationalistic stance against separatist movements in Aceh, Papua and Maluku provinces.

Yet, if political aspects are ignored and the 2004 Military Law is adhered to down to the letter, the next TNI chief should be Air Force chief Djoko Soeyanto.

Article 13 of the Military Law stipulates that the post of the TNI Commander should be rotated equally among the three branches of the military. And it is now the turn of an Air Force man to lead the TNI because the last two TNI chiefs were from the Army and Navy.

But apart from the military law, a lower ruling -- the TNI's internal regulations -- suggests a completely different set of dynamics since it states that new chiefs of staff can only be promoted after having undergone their first three-month performance evaluation.

Despite claims from TNI headquarters that all four are equally eligible for the top post, this often forgotten regulation could effectively nullify the chances of the three other officers.

The three new chiefs of staff were only appointed on Feb. 17 and they will not have completed their three month review when Endriartono retires on April 29, due to his age.

And if this is the case, Ryamizard's opportunity to become TNI chief is wide open despite the fact that he himself will be reaching the retirement age of 55 four days before Endriartono's 58th birthday -- the maximum age that President can extend retirement.

Despite these dynamics, Ryamizard may still be named if the President favors him. The President is also allowed to put off Ryamizard's retirement by a year.

Another factor in Ryamizard's favor is that he tops the shortlist of candidates for TNI chief submitted by TNI headquarters to the President.

Many things must happen before the President endorses Endriartono's retirement request and appoints a new TNI chief; the consent of the House of Representatives being one of them.

There are also some political considerations that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono may ponder before naming a successor for Endriartono.

The President must appoint a TNI chief who will have strong control over the military, an institution that has been stripped of its direct and active involvement in politics, but still has great influence on the country's political affairs.

Yet, the President, a retired general himself, must be very careful about how close he gets to the military, as he may have learned from his predecessor Megawati Soekarnoputri.

The President must also consider the voices of the international community, although it should not be the main consideration, before appointing the new TNI chief, especially as it might be a sort of prerequisite before they resume military ties and cooperation with Indonesia.