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)