Sutiyoso backs military officers' appointment

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso on Thursday defended the appointment of five new military officers to the city's top positions next week, arguing that their assignment "had been processed a long time ago".

The appointment of the five military officials could not be canceled as it was requested by the city administration, the governor said.

"The administration made the request two years ago," he said.

"Furthermore, when we processed the appointment of the military members, the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) had yet to decide to reduce the number of ABRI (Armed Forces) members," he said.

The five ABRI personnel, whose names and ranks remain a mystery, would be installed next Monday along with two civil servants in the senior posts in the city administration.

The military members will be appointed as heads of the city land transportation agency, the city sanitary agency, the city parking agency, city's social and political affairs directorate and the civilian defense unit's provincial headquarters.

The two civilians would chair the city-owned market management PD Pasar Jaya and the development finance controller.

The plan to reduce the number of ABRI officers in the city administration was first announced on Monday in accordance with the final results of last week's MPR Special Session which would reduce the number of military members in the Assembly by stages.

Many city officials, including those with military backgrounds, hailed the plan. Some, however, warned that the disappearance of military officials must also lead the civil servants to improve the bad image of the public services of the city administration.

Pledge

Sutiyoso pledged on Thursday that his administration would no longer want to hire any more ABRI members for any posts in the city administration.

Officials to be replaced by the new five military personnel, he said, were also from ABRI.

"So, there's no additional number," the governor, who is an active three-star military general, said.

Like in many other provincial administrations, many important posts in the Jakarta administration were held by military officers such as colonels.

Two of Sutiyoso's three deputies are even active two-star generals. They are Deputy Governor for Administrative Affairs Abdul Kahfi and Deputy Governor for Social Welfare Affairs Djailani.

Two of the city's five mayoralties, namely Central Jakarta and North Jakarta, are headed by military officials: Col. Andi Subur Abdullah and Col. Soebagyo (from the Marine), respectively.

Several other posts are also chaired by military members such as the city office of public relations affairs, city public order office, city social disturbance office and city fire agency.

Sutiyoso rejected the widespread public accusation that ABRI members had been improperly selected to chair certain posts in the administration.

"There's never such a kind of procedure. Military members are recruited because they are asked for by the administration," he said. (ind)