No policy changes in Army under Wiranto: Spokesman
No policy changes in Army under Wiranto: Spokesman
JAKARTA (JP): The new chief of staff, Gen. Wiranto, will not
change the Army's strategies, Army spokesman Brig. Gen. Robik
Mukav said yesterday.
"The Army's short, medium and long-term strategies have been
periodically established by the Army Headquarters. An Army chief
of staff only has to implement these tasks," Robik told a press
conference yesterday to answer speculation that Wiranto would
implement different policies to his predecessor Gen. Hartono.
Some analysts have said the Army would become more
nationalistic under Wiranto compared to Hartono's Moslem
orientation.
Wiranto said, after receiving the post last week, that he
would follow the principles which Hartono had laid down during
his two-year term.
But Robik did not rule out small changes in policy under
Wiranto. "There may be some adjustment in practices," he said,
but did not elaborate.
Robik said the Army had withdrawn some 60,000 soldiers
deployed in several cities to safeguard the campaign and the May
29 general election.
On the heating political climate leading up to next March's
presidential election, Robik said the Army would remain vigilant
against any attempt to disrupt stability and order.
"We have ordered one-third of each military unit or battalion
to get ready for any unconstitutional attempt to create domestic
political instability," he said.
Asked whether there would soon be a reshuffle in the country's
eight regional military commands, Robik said the Army
headquarters would only do this when it deemed it necessary.
"The transfer of the regional military commander posts will
not happen in the immediate future," he said.
He denied speculation on the fate of some current regional
military commanders, including Maj. Gen. Imam Utomo, chief of the
Brawijaya Regional Military Command, which oversees East Java;
and Maj. Gen. Namuri Anoem, chief of the Tanjungpura Regional
Military Command, which oversees the four provinces of
Kalimantan. Both Imam and Namuri were 1965 graduates of the
National Military Academy.
Other regional military commanders are 1966 graduates of the
military academy, including Maj. Gen. Sedaryanto, chief of the
Bukit Barisan Regional Military Command, which oversees the
provinces of Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, and Riau; Maj.
Gen. Tayo Tarmadi, chief of the Siliwangi Regional Military
Command, which oversees West Java; and Maj. Gen. A. Rivai, chief
of the Udayana Regional Military Command, which oversees Bali,
West and East Nusa Tenggara and East Timor.
Other regional military commanders come from more recent
generations in the military academy. They are Maj. Gen. Sutiyoso,
chief of the Jakarta Regional Military Command and Maj. Gen. Agum
Gumelar, chief of the Wirabuana Regional Military Command, which
oversees four provinces in Sulawesi. Both Sutiyoso and Agum were
1968 graduates.
Maj. Gen. Johny Lumintang, chief of the Trikora Regional
Military Command, which oversees the provinces of Maluku and
Irian Jaya, was a 1970 graduate. Maj. Gen. Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono, chief of the Sriwijaya Regional Military Command,
which oversees the provinces of South Sumatra, Jambi, Bengkulu
and Lampung, was a 1973 graduate.
The newly appointed chief of the Diponegoro Regional Military
Command which oversees Central Java, Maj. Gen. Mardijanto, was a
1970 graduate. (imn)