Post of TNI chief should not be filled by Army only: House

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

In order to ensure fairness within the Indonesian Military (TNI) forces, several factions in the House of Representatives proposed on Wednesday that the TNI chief's position should be alternated regularly between the Army, Navy and Air Force.

Since the country's independence in 1945, the position of the TNI commander has mostly been occupied by Army generals, which has created jealousy among officers from the Navy and Air Force.

Only Adm. Widodo A.S. broke the monopoly in 1999 when he was appointed by then President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, as the first TNI chief from the Navy.

The current military chief, Gen. Endriartono Sutarto who was named by President Megawati Soekarnoputri to succeed Widodo, is again from the Army.

The Golkar Party, the United Development Party (PPP) and the Indonesian Nationhood Unity (KKI) faction said the TNI bill, being deliberated at the House, should give an equal chance to the Army, Navy and Air Force to take the top leadership of the military.

"The appointment of the TNI chief should be based on quality and capability. It can be from the Army, Navy or Air Force. This provision should be set out in the bill," PPP faction spokesman Nadhier Muhammad said.

The Golkar faction raised a similar call, saying the bill should include a stipulation that the TNI chief must not be occupied by a general from the same force for two consecutive periods.

Also, the KKI faction suggested that the TNI be headed by a commander hailing from the three branches on a rotational basis.

Article 14 (1) of the government-sponsored TNI bill only states that the TNI be headed by a commander.

However, Hari Sabarno, the interim security minister, who represented the government in the deliberation rejected calls to explicitly put the word "alternately" in the military bill.

"Of course, the president will consider it carefully before appointing someone as the TNI chief. Besides, the appointment will also be consulted on with the House through a so-called fit- and-proper test (for candidates)," he said.

Yet, the minister said that a clause suggesting the president take it into consideration before appointing a new TNI commander, could be included in the bill's explanatory section.

Crescent Star Party (PBB) faction spokesman Stein Gumay said that in order to maintain TNI's professionalism, the president should not consult with the House before naming the commander.

"If the president is required to consult with the House, the candidate for TNI chief will approach major parties to get support. Therefore, he or she will get involved in politics," he said.

Hari said the president must follow the proper procedures, which are already mandated in the amended Constitution.

Regarding state defense, the National Awakening Party (PKB) faction proposed that several defense-oriented territorial commands (Kodahan) be revived, but with joint involvement of combat troops from the Army, Navy and Air Force.

Minister Hari, who is a retired three-star Army general, said the PKB's proposal was the ideal, but stressed that it would be difficult to implement it.

If the call for the revival of some Kodahan was approved, ideally there should be around 11 throughout the country, he said.

"We used to have provincial commands called Kowilhan. They were dissolved because they were deemed to be ineffective and inefficient," Hari said.