Ryamizard move bad example: Experts
Ryamizard move bad example: Experts
Muninggar Sri Saraswati and Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The question of Army chief Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu's appointment as
acting Indonesian Military (TNI) chief must be resolved
immediately as it sets a bad precedent for the institution,
analysts say.
Outgoing President Megawati Soekarnoputri appointed Ryamizard
as acting TNI chief after Gen. Endriartono Sutarto resigned from
the post.
The appointment of Ryamizard as acting TNI chief has raised
concerns among the public as the four-star general already holds
two other positions -- commander of the Army and commander of the
Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad).
Analysts Edy Prasetyono of the Centre for Strategic and
International Studies (CSIS) and Yahya Muhaimin of Gadjah Mada
University said that the situation demonstrated poor management
both in the military and the government.
"It's an abnormal situation. How can a person hold three
important positions?" Edy told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
According to Edy, the arrangement would put the military in a
difficult situation as the three positions have different duties.
"The function of a chief of staff is to train soldiers, while
the function of Kostrad commander is to lead military operations
under the TNI chief.
"It is clear that the TNI chief, who must lead all three
services, should not be the same person. Otherwise it will
confuse the chain of command within the military," he said.
Edy also said that the appointment of the TNI chief was a
political matter as it needed the approval of the House, unlike a
chief of staff, who could be appointed by the president, or the
Kostrad commander, who was appointed by TNI headquarters.
Under the prevailing regulations, the TNI chief is appointed
by the president with the approval of the House.
According to Edy, the holding of three different positions by
a single person shows that the TNI leadership had failed to groom
leaders and promote outstanding officers.
Yahya concurred with Edy that the appointment of Ryamizard as
Kostrad commander and acting TNI chief reflected poor management
within the military.
He suggested the TNI headquarters appoint another military
officers to take the helm of Kostrad and the Army immediately
should the House endorse Ryamizard's appointment as TNI chief.
"This is an unusual situation (where a military officer holds
three strategic positions). The issue should be resolved soon,"
Yahya told the Post.
The House agreed on Monday to bring Endriartono's resignation
and the appointment of his successor to a plenary meeting this
coming Friday (Oct. 5).
Both Edy and Yahya suggested that the government and the
President keep on track in developing a truly professional
military by removing it from politics.
"This situation teaches us one important lesson. That is, any
decision involving the military must be made based on national
defense considerations," Edy said without elaborating.
Endriartono, who reached the mandatory retirement age of 55
two years ago, had reportedly tendered his resignation to
Megawati just weeks before her administration officially came to
the end of its term on Oct. 20.
Neither Megawati nor TNI headquarters explained publicly the
reasons behind Endriartono's resignation, which came days after
the conferring of the rank of full four-star general on acting
coordinating minister for political and security affairs Hari
Sabarno and National Intelligence Agency chief A.M. Hendropriyono
by Megawati.