Reshuffle gives Susilo more names for top TNI post

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.