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)