Soeharto extends Feisal's military service

Soeharto extends Feisal's military service

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto has extended the service of
Gen. Feisal Tanjung, the current chief of the Armed Forces
(ABRI), past the military's mandatory retirement age of 55, it
was officially announced yesterday. Feisal's birthday falls next
month.

Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono said the decision is
contained in a decree signed by the President on May 23.

The announcement put to rest one of the major political
questions of the year, and one that had been frequently asked
since the time Feisal was appointed to the number one post in
ABRI in May of last year.

There had been speculation that Soeharto, who as the commander
in chief has the last word on military appointments, was going to
replace Feisal with Gen. Wismoyo Arismunandar, currently Army
Chief of Staff and two years his junior. This line of reasoning
went that Feisal was simply keeping the seat warm for Wismoyo.

With the extension of his active service, Feisal is now widely
expected to retain his post, according to political observers.

In the past, Soeharto extended the service of L.B. Murdani and
Try Sutrisno, two former ABRI chiefs, to allow both to retain the
post. Feisal's immediate predecessor, Edi Sudradjat, only held
the post for three months before he turned 55, after which he was
whisked away to become minister of defense and security.

Still needed

By law the President can extend the service of any colonel or
general by one year at a time.

Moerdiono said that Feisal was given extended service, which
will take effect on July 1, because the President felt that his
services are still needed.

Feisal, who was born on June 17, 1939, in Tarutung, North
Sumatra, graduated from the National Military Academy in 1962.

He rose to prominence when he was assigned by Soeharto to head
a military investigation into the bloody incident in East Timor
in 1991. The investigation subsequently led to the removal of two
top Army generals.

Feisal carved his military career in Kopassus, the Army's
elite red beret force. His stints included quashing various
separatist insurrections in Maluku and Kalimantan. (rms)