No more reshuffles in ABRI
No more reshuffles in ABRI
JAKARTA (JP): Armed Forces (ABRI) Chief of General Affairs Lt. Gen. Soeyono says there will be no more reshuffling of the military's top brass until after the general election next year.
"The replacement of high-ranking officials in the ... Army, Navy, Air Force and the National Police has been completed... No more reshuffles are expected until after the 1997 general election," he said when attending the swearing-in of Maj. Gen. Sutiyoso as the new military chief of Jakarta on Saturday.
Next month's changes in the Jayakarta Military Command, which oversees Jakarta and its surrounding areas, and in the Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) are to be the last of this year.
Soeyono was following up on the statement last month by Armed Forces Commander Gen. Feisal Tanjung, who said that ABRI now wants to concentrate on making the election a success.
Also on Saturday, Soeyono said ABRI discussed a number of strategies, to ensure a successful general election, at an ABRI leadership meeting which concluded on Thursday.
"ABRI is determined to make the general election and the 1998 presidential election a success," Soeyono said.
Sutiyoso, the Jakarta military's former chief of staff, replaced Maj. Gen. Wiranto, who will be inducted as Kostrad commander on April 4, 1996, to replace Lt. Gen. Tarub.
ABRI recently conducted a series of reshuffles in the Army -- including its regional, or provincial, military commands -- special forces, Navy, Air Force and National Police.
The chiefs of the Navy, Air Force and National Police were all replaced.
This year, reshuffles also occurred in the top positions of the Army's special force (Kopassus), from Maj. Gen. Subagyo to President Soeharto's son-in-law Brig. Gen. Prabowo Subianto, and in the Navy's Marine Corps from Maj. Gen. Pramono to Maj. Gen. Suharto.
ABRI, in charge of defense and security across the country, has nine military commands. Each command is comprised of one brigade and eight battalions and an integrated arms system.
Meanwhile, Army Chief Gen. Raden Hartono, who presided over Saturday's swearing-in ceremony, has confirmed that his military service has been extended for one year until June 1997, and that Gen. Feisal Tanjung's military service has been extended to June 1998.
It is the prerogative of the President in his capacity as ABRI supreme commander to extend or discontinue all military officials' term of office.
Hartono refused to comment on the reasons for his extension of service.
All of the present officials occupying strategic positions in the military elite are seen as individuals who are loyal to Soeharto. (rms)