Soedirman conferred five stars posthumously
Soedirman conferred five stars posthumously
JAKARTA (JP): Armed Forces Commander Gen. Feisal Tanjung
presented yesterday a honorary five-star general rank to the late
Soedirman, the founding father of the Armed Forces.
One of Soedirman's grandsons, Danang Priambodo, received the
posthumous award given by the government for the general's
outstanding service to the country.
"The rank is the highest award conferred on a figure who led
the Armed Forces in our struggle for independence," Feisal said
in a ceremony held at the newly inaugurated, Armed Forces-owned
Soedirman Hall in Tebet, South Jakarta.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Wiranto and several other military
top brass were present at the ceremony.
The government conferred the same honor on Gen. (ret) Abdul
Haris Nasution and President Soeharto.
Some observers welcomed the presentation of the honor and
expressed belief that it had not been granted with any political
motive.
"Soedirman led our guerrillas and people to fight the Dutch
forces, Nasution set up our military concepts. The five-star rank
shows how the Armed Forces' younger generation pays homage to
their seniors," said Rudini, former minister of home affairs and
Army chief of staff.
Military expert Salim Said agreed, saying the three recipients
had devoted their lives not only to the corps but to the country.
"Soedirman laid the foundation of the Armed Forces, Nasution
developed the military's dual role and Soeharto applied the
concept to push national development programs," Salim said.
The three recipients of the honor were from the Army, but
according to a presidential decree on special military awards,
top-ranking officers from the Air Force and Navy may also be
granted the same honors.
Another former military leader, Lt. Gen. (ret) Hasnan Habib,
however, questioned the extraordinary military rank, saying that
such an award was commonly conferred on an active military
officer during a war.
He was referring to American heroes in World War II like
Dwight Eisenhower and Douglas McArthur.
The five-star rank given to Nasution has sparked speculation
that the government is making amends for its uneasy relationship
with the former Army chief of staff who joined a group of
government critics called Petisi 50 in the early 1980s. (imn/amd)