Syamsir Siregar, seasoned intelligence officer

Syamsir Siregar, seasoned intelligence officer

Imanuddin Razak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's decision to appoint Maj.
Gen. (ret) Syamsir Siregar as the new State Intelligence Agency
(BIN) chief, replacing Gen. (ret) AM Hendropriyono, has surprised
many.

Syamsir was a key figure on Susilo's campaign team for
Sumatra, but this was not the cause of the surprise; it was
Susilo's choosing him over BIN deputy chief M. As'ad or Lt. Gen.
(ret) Sudi Silalahi.

Sudi, another close confidante of Susilo and who was much
talked about as the next BIN chief, was named Cabinet Secretary.

The choice was also surprising because Susilo decided to give
one of the toughest and most vital positions in the country to a
retired, two-star general who has not been active in the military
or government for quite some time.

Syamsir's last active post was chief of the Intelligence
Agency (BIA) of the Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI) -- renamed the
Indonesian Military (TNI) in April 1999. He retired on Sept. 10,
1996, and held no military or state posts until Susilo installed
him on Dec. 8 as the new BIN chief.

Shunning the limelight in retirement, he made a few public
appearances as a member of the National Front (Barnas), a group
of retired ABRI/TNI officers and former leaders of student
movements. Barnas contributed to the reform drive of the late
1990s until Soeharto stepped down on May 20, 1998.

What are Susilo's reasons for bringing Syamsir out of
retirement and into the military/intelligence fore -- aside from
possible recognition for Syamsir's contributions to his campaign?

One crucial reason may be his seniority in the
military/intelligence circles, an asset to obtaining accurate
intelligence so decisions can be made critical state matters.

Further, Syamsir's seniority would leave him free to perform
his tasks as BIN chief, as he would have no structural or
psychological barriers within the military hierarchy. Instead, he
would command the respect of other intelligence organizations and
senior TNI officers.

Syamsir is a 1965 graduate of the National Military Academy
(AMN), and is thus a senior classmate of Susilo, a 1973 AMN
graduate. He is also a senior classmate of incumbent TNI chief
Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, a 1971 graduate, the three chiefs of
staff, and also Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and
Security Affairs Adm. (ret) Widodo AS, a 1968 AMN graduate.

The Class of 1965 is renowned in the Academy's history for
producing outstanding Army officers. Syamsir's graduating class
includes Lt. Gen. (ret) M. Yunus Yosfiah, former ABRI chief of
sociopolitical affairs, and Lt. Gen. (ret) Soeyono, former ABRI
chief of general affairs. Yunus, for one, made a name for himself
early on in his military career when he killed a key East
Timorese separatist leader.

Another factor that would have spoken in favor of Syamsir
would be his broad experience in the intelligence community, as
he spent about half of his military career in intelligence.

Meanwhile, Syamsir's direct ties to the President will give
him legitimate power and access to the country's intelligence
circle, even though BIN has yet to reclaim its role as
coordinator of all intelligence institutions -- as it did when it
was known as the State Intelligence Coordinating Agency (BAKIN).

Other than BIN and the BIA, other intelligence units exist
under the National Police -- the Police Intelligence and Security
Directorate (Ditintelpam) -- and the Attorney General's Office --
the Junior Attorney General for Intelligence Affairs.

Along with these technical points, another minor but decisive
factor would be that Susilo and Syamsir served under the same
military unit, the elite Army Strategic Reserves Command
(Kostrad). The Army's other elite unit is the Army's Special
Forces (Kopassus).

Syamsir will thus be supported by key Kostrad alumni TNI chief
Gen. Endriartono and Army chief Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu.
Furthermore, Ryamizard is of the same graduating class as Susilo.

Susilo's choice is also not unrelated to his favoring
"colleagues from the military" to head BIN, although some House
of Representatives legislators preferred a civilian intelligence
chief.

The general public thus expects that Syamsir's seniority and
experience in intelligence affairs will contribute significantly
to the government's anti-terror campaign and to security and
order in the country. It is also hoped that the new BIN chief
would contribute indirectly to the return of foreign investment,
which is much needed to jump-start business development programs
that stalled during the Asian economic crisis.

Syamsir has a tall order to fill: The people want to see BIN
settle the country's various security problems, including
terrorism, sectarian conflicts and other issues that have
hampered the revival of the economy and thus, improvements in the
standard of living.