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Robik said the Army had withdrawn some 60,000 soldiers deployed in several cities to safeguard the campaign and the May 29 general election.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)