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)