'Rising stars' take over ABRI strategic positions
'Rising stars' take over ABRI strategic positions
JAKARTA (JP): Three "rising stars" took over the leadership of
the Armed Forces (ABRI) strategic positions in two simple
ceremonies yesterday.
Lt. Gen. Fachrul Razi, Lt. Gen. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and
Lt. Gen. Prabowo Subianto were installed as the new Armed Forces
Chief of General Affairs, the Armed Forces Chief of
Sociopolitical Affairs, and the Commander of the Army's Strategic
Reserves Command (Kostrad) respectively.
Fachrul graduated from the Armed Forces Academy in 1970,
Yudhoyono graduated in 1973 and Prabowo completed his studies in
1974. Observers have described them as members of a new breed of
professional military officers.
Fachrul replaced Lt. Gen. Tarub, who will shortly reach the
mandatory retirement age of 55. Yudhoyono replaced Lt. Gen. Yunus
Yosfiah and Prabowo replaced Lt. Gen. Soegiono.
Born in the Aceh capital of Banda Aceh in July 1947, Fachrul
has spent most of his military career in the Infantry.
Fachrul was appointed chief of staff of Wirabuana regional
military command, which oversees Sulawesi, in 1966. A few months
later he was appointed governor of the National Military Academy
and was appointed assistant for operations to the Armed Forces
chief of general affairs last year.
Yudhoyono was born in September 1949 in the East Java town of
Pacitan, and began his military career with the Kujang Infantry
Brigade in West Java in 1974.
He was still serving with the same Infantry Brigade when he
participated in a military operation in East Timor in 1976.
Experienced in military operations, Yudhoyono is also known
for his academic prowess. After completing a course at Seskoad,
the Army Staff and Command School, in 1989, he studied management
at Webster University in the United States, obtaining a degree in
1991 while seconded to a US Army Command and General Staff
College.
Born in January 1951, Prabowo, who is the son of senior
economist Soemitro Djojohadikoesoemo, became a one-star general
after only 11 years military service.
Observers say he combines intelligence, excellent skills and
mental stability. He speaks English, French, German and Dutch
equally well.
He was appointed deputy commander of Kopassus, the Army's
special forces, in 1994, and promoted to command the elite unit
that same year.
Coup
Later in the day, Prabowo said the Indonesian Armed Forces did
not have a tradition of staging coups.
"ABRI has its own tradition. Coup is not in the vocabulary of
the Armed Forces," he told reporters after receiving the command
from his predecessor Lt. Gen. Soegiono.
He was referring to an earlier statement by senior military
figure Gen. (ret) Abdul Haris Nasution, who quoted former U.S.
president George Washington: "There is not supposed to be any
coup as there will always be subsequent coups to correct the
first one."
Nasution was recalling the day in 1965 when he survived an
attempt on his life by the now outlawed Indonesian Communist
Party (PKI), who were blamed for an attempted coup that year.
After the attempt, he sat on a table nursing his injured feet
and discussed allegations that the Army was responsible for the
coup with other military officers, saying on that fateful day:
"There will always need to be subsequent coups to correct the
first. So, we will never stage a coup." (imn/lem)