Saurip upset over disciplinary charges

Saurip upset over disciplinary charges

JAKARTA (JP): Maj. Gen. Saurip Kadi, former territorial
assistant to the Army chief, denied on Wednesday he would be
handed disciplinary charges that could show him the door.

Speaking on the sidelines of a ceremony marking the transfer
of duty of the Army chief, Saurip said he was ready to stand
before an Officers Honor Council (DKP) for publishing a book
titled TNI: Di masa Lalu and Masa Depan (TNI, in the past and
future) in August without his superiors' consent.

"Frankly speaking, nobody can ban anybody else from publishing
books and, as a senior officer, I presented a written report to
the Army chief a month before the book was published," Saurip
said.

A number of senior military officers have suggested that
Saurip and his colleague and former Army Strategic Reserves
Command (Kostrad) chief Lt. Gen. Agus Wirahadikusumah be taken
before the DKP, which in 1998 honorably discharged former Kostrad
chief Lt. Gen. Prabowo Subianto.

Agus is accused of several indisciplinary actions, including
ordering the dispatch of a group of Kostrad soldiers to
earthquake-ravaged Bengkulu without permission from the Army
leadership and leaking to the press alleged corruption within
Kostrad.

The two cases surfaced following rumors that Agus would be
appointed the new Army chief to replace Gen. Tyasno Sudarto.

However, President Abdurrahman Wahid installed Gen.
Endriartono Sutarto as the Army chief instead.

After Wednesday's ceremony, Endriartono hinted that the two
senior officers would not have to face the honor council because
of a lack of evidence of their trespasses.

"What is a honor council for if it has to probe into two
officers who committed only minor violations? They'd better be
reprimanded," he said.

The newly installed Army chief asked the media not to
exaggerate the issue.

Saurip has been assigned to the Army's Kartika Eka Paksi
foundation, while Agus has been given no assignment or office at
the Army Headquarters.

Agus, who also attended Wednesday's ceremony, declined to
comment, saying it was not his place to do so.

"Please, ask him. Don't ask an unassigned officer," he said
while pointing to Endriartono at a reception after the ceremony.
(rms)