The Army reshuffle
The Army reshuffle
As could have been expected, the replacement on Monday of Lt.
Gen. Agus Wirahadikusumah, the chief of the Army Strategic
Reserves Command (Kostrad), has opened up a trail of questions
that are begging to be answered.
Kostrad, after all, is considered to be the Army's preeminent
combat force as well as a power base and stepping stone toward
more lofty positions within the Indonesian Military (TNI).
Gen. Wirahadikusumah, who was appointed in March at the
suggestion of President Abdurrahman Wahid, has thus held the
position for just about four months.
The basic question, of course, is why was Gen. Agus replaced?
The official answer to the question was given to reporters on
Monday by TNI spokesman Air Rear Marshall Graito Usodo. The main
reason, Graito said, was that "our organization needs changes and
these have been adjusted to the present conditions and
situation."
But although "organizational needs" were certainly part of the
motive, not much can be learned from such a standard official
answer unless one reads between the lines and finds the real
reason or reasons underlying the move.
A little more light was shed on the matter by the comment made
by Gen. Agus himself. Answering reporters at a news conference,
the general said his decision to order an audit of a foundation
owned by Kostrad on suspicions of graft could have been among the
reasons for his replacement.
More likely to be the main reason, however, is that the move
was a political decision taken by President Abdurrahman Wahid,
who as the head of state and head of government is also the
Supreme Commander of TNI.
As may be recalled, Gen. Agus Wirahadikusumah was chief of the
Wirabuana Military Command in Ujungpandang (Makassar), South
Sulawesi, before he was called to Jakarta at the suggestion of
the President because of the general's reformist ideas.
Among high-ranking military officers, for example, Gen. Agus
Wirahadikusumah was among the very few, if not the only one, to
openly support the idea of abolishing the sociopolitical role of
TNI and turning it into a professional military force.
The President, apparently impressed by the general's reformist
views, suggested that with such a vision, Agus deserved to be
given a post in Jakarta rather than in some far-out region such
as Makassar. Thus, Gen. Agus was moved to Jakarta where he
quickly rose to the position of Kostrad commander.
By supporting Gen. Agus, however, the President antagonized
those generals -- and there are presumably quite a number of them
left in TNI -- who are reluctant to give up the privileged
position of the Indonesian Military.
The present move to replace Gen. Agus from his powerful
position, then, could be seen as an effort on the part of the
President to improve his relations with TNI and at the same time
end the divisions therein.
For sure, with the upcoming Annual Session of the People's
Consultative Assembly (MPR) due to start on Aug. 7, there is
ample justification for the President to do so. The beleaguered
President is at present under heavy criticism from various sides
for his handling of the administration, and the possibility
cannot be discounted that some of the factions in the upcoming
Annual Session will try to make it highly uncomfortable for the
President and possibly even try to unseat him.
Patching up his relationship with the military at this point,
therefore, makes sense for Abdurrahman. Where that leaves the
nation, however, is a question whose answer may not please
everyone, particularly those prodemocracy groups in society who
have sacrificed much in their fight for democratization and
civilian supremacy in this country.
The fact that appointed military representatives are likely to
continue to maintain seats in the MPR, the highest law-making
body in this country, is an indication that true democracy may
take longer to establish than many of us would wish.