Sudarsono lends prestige to military think-tank
Sudarsono lends prestige to military think-tank
JAKARTA (JP): The National Resilience Institute received a
major boost yesterday with the appointment to the institute's
deputy governorship of one of Indonesia's most respected
political scientists, Juwono Sudarsono.
Minister of Defense and Security Gen. (ret.) Edi Sudradjat
said during the professor's induction ceremony yesterday that one
of the institute's immediate tasks was to popularize the national
defense concept which, he said, is still misunderstood by some
people.
Edi said the national defense concept had not been fully
accepted by the nation, for one reason or another. "If it is not
yet fully accepted, then how can we be expected to implement it?"
he asked.
The minister acknowledged that some people have opposed the
national defense concept on ideological grounds.
The National Resilience Institute is a military think-tank
under the Ministry of Defense and Security. Its main task is to
formulate military and defense concepts and doctrines. The
institute also runs leadership courses for both military
personnel and civilians. The deputy governorship has been vacant
since the death of the institute's former deputy governor, Prof.
Pamudji, last year.
In his address Edi said he hoped that, given Juwono's
expertise and experience, the institute would be able to enhance
its contribution to national development programs.
Juwono is a professor of politics at the School of Politics
and Social Sciences of the University of Indonesia.
Born 53 years ago in Ciamis, West Java, Juwono is one of the
most prominent commentators on Indonesia's foreign policy. The
son of a diplomat, he spent many years studying overseas, in
India and the United Kingdom.
In 1970 he received his masters degree from the University of
California, Berkeley, in the United States, and in 1978 he
received his doctorate from the London School of Economics.
He has written two books, Pilihan Masalah (Selected Problems)
and Perubahan Politik dan Pembangunan (Political Change and
Development), which were published in 1980 and 1982,
respectively.
Juwono told Antara after the ceremony that he did not foresee
any problems in working side by side with military officers. "I
know for sure that many military officers are more tolerant
towards critics than are my civilian colleagues."
He acknowledged however that the new job entailed a great
responsibility and that he would have to be more careful in
conducting his research.
With the new assignment, Juwono will have to commute regularly
between his office at the University of Indonesia, in Depok, and
the think-tank's headquarters in Jl. Kebon Sirih, Central
Jakarta.(rms)