Reshuffle gives Susilo more names for top TNI post
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Indonesian Military (TNI) announced on Thursday that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had appointed three new military chiefs of staff, giving him four candidates to be named TNI's next commander.
TNI spokesman Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin told a press conference that the four possible candidates for the top military post would be newly appointed Army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Djoko Santoso, Navy Chief of Staff Vice Adm. Slamet Soebijanto, Air Force Chief of Staff Vice Marshall Djoko Soeyanto and outgoing Army Chief, Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu.
"It is now up to the President to decide ... the four senior officers now all have the same chance to be appointed as the commander," Sjafrie said.
According to Law No. 34/2004 on the military, the President can only pick active senior officers who have held at least a post of chief of staff to be eligible as TNI commander. The outgoing Navy Chief Adm. Bernard Kent Sondakh and Air Force Chief Marshall Chappy Hakim are not eligible because they are past the mandatory retirement age. They will both retire as they no longer hold a portfolio post.
Sjafrie also explained that the TNI Commander Gen. Endriartono Sutarto had tendered his resignation for the second time on Feb. 7, but the President had not yet responded to his resignation letter.
Susilo has been facing pressure from lawmakers to replace Endriartono, who first tendered his resignation during the latter part of the previous administration of Megawati Soekarnoputri, who at the time proposed Ryamizard, a tough-talking nationalist and close ally of the Megawati family. But after assuming power in October last year, Susilo annulled Megawati's proposal letter to the House of Representatives (the lawmakers need to approve the proposed TNI commander chief), and retained Endriartono until further notice. That move did not sit at all well with the House, which at the time was still dominated by factions supporting Megawati.
Prior to the reshuffle of the military chiefs of staff, Ryamizard was the only eligible candidate for the top post at the TNI.
It is still not clear when the President will name his replacement for Endriartono, but according to the TNI's internal regulations, new chiefs of staff can only be promoted after having undergone their first three-month performance evaluation.
According to the Military Law, the chiefs of staff of the three branches of the military should take turns in leading the TNI, meaning that newly appointed Air Force chief Djoko Soeyanto should be named, because the last two were from the Army and Navy, respectively.
Pundits, however, have already begun speculating that Susilo will likely pick new Army Chief Djoko Santoso, who has served under retired Gen. Sudi Silalahi, a confidant of Susilo and the current Cabinet Secretary. Djoko is also seen as a more moderate officer compared to Ryamizard, who often made comments that particularly irked the U.S. and other countries, at a time when Susilo is trying hard to mend military relations with the U.S. and attract foreign investment.