SBY Remembers the Late Former Defence Minister Juwono Sudarsono: A Skilled Thinker in the Field of Defence

JAKARTA - Former Sixth President of Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) has remembered and praised the late Juwono Sudarsono as a capable thinker and former Minister of Defence. SBY stated that he had known Juwono since his days as a young officer. He noted that, despite his military background, Juwono had served as a lecturer at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP) at the University of Indonesia (UI). SBY added that after developing a close friendship, he and Juwono often discussed military and civilian matters. He also mentioned that Juwono shared his views on the TNI in the reform era not engaging in practical politics. Due to this alignment of perspectives, he appointed Juwono as Minister of Defence. Together with Juwono, they began planning the establishment of the National Defence University and the Peacekeeping Mission area in Sentul, Bogor. “For the preparation of Indonesia’s strength to face crises both domestically and internationally. I certainly cannot forget the role of Mr Juwono Sudarsono, the role of Mr Purnomo (former Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources), and also the role of Mr Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin as deputy defence minister at the time,” he said.