Reform figures lack support for TNI post

Reform figures lack support for TNI post

A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The country is facing difficulties in selecting reform figures
for the post of new Indonesian Military (TNI) chief due to lack
of support from the institution, in particular the Army, an
observer said.

Kusnanto Anggoro of the Centre for Strategic and International
Studies (CSIS) said the general public hoped to see an officer
from outside the Army, whose image had not been tarnished due to
various human rights abuses in the past, appointed to the TNI top
post.

"Figures from outside the Army may get wide public support,
but they will meet resistance from the Army, which is the
dominant force in the TNI," Kusnanto told reporters on the
sidelines of a seminar on TNI's territorial function.

"On the other hand, candidates from within the Army will get
support within the military, but in the eyes of the public they
are not reformists."

Kusnanto acknowledged that acceptance from both the military
institution and the general public was essential.

"If the institution does not support an elected chief, he or
she wouldn't be able to work with the team, and this would be
dangerous for the life of the organization," he said.

The Army currently has some 200,000 personnel, compared with
the Navy's 30,000 and the Air Force's 30,000.

President Megawati will likely submit to the House of
Representatives a lone candidate for the TNI chief post in place
of Adm. Widodo AS, who should have retired in 1999. Widodo, who
was appointed by former president Abdurrahman Wahid, is the first
TNI chief ever from outside the Army.

Army chief of staff Gen. Endriartono Sutarto and his
predecessor Gen. Tyasno Sudarto have been touted as strong
candidates for the TNI top job.

According to Kusnanto the appointment of the new military
chief would likely be influenced by political considerations.

"Whoever gets strong political support from Megawati, the
Indonesian military or other political camps could hold the
military's top post," he said.

Meanwhile, Rifki Moena, of the Research Institute for
Democracy and Peace (RiDEP) hoped that the appointment of the new
military chief would avoid political intrigue, in a bid to keep
the institution's unity intact.

"All parties involved in the selection must uphold the
principle of meritocracy. They should take a candidate's
qualifications, seniority and track record, which includes a
nominee's involvement in criminal or human right abuses, into
account," Rifki said.