TNI deputy commander

TNI deputy commander

The swearing in and installation of Admiral Widodo AS as
deputy commander of the Indonesian Military (TNI) by President
B.J. Habibie has brought about many unfavorable opinions about
the reinstitution of this position. Some people are of the
opinion that it is intended to serve the political needs of the
TNI more than to fulfill the national defense and security's
demand. Some others believe that the reinstitution of this
position is part of a preparation to smooth Wiranto's way into
the vice presidential seat. Still others think that this is only
an attempt to cover up Wiranto's inability to deal with the
national security condition in the run-up to the general session
of the People's Consultative Assembly. Of course, there are many
other opinions which are more or less the same in nature.

Regardless of whether these opinions are correct or not, as a
layman not well-versed in politics, I believe that the
reinstitution of the deputy commander of the TNI was the best
step taken by TNI leaders in dealing with the nation's problems,
which are assuming greater complexity, in the present reform era.
Obviously, the position's reinstitution is based on the fact that
the commander of the TNI has yet to optimize the performance of
his tasks and exercise his authority related with operational
functions and that the presence of a deputy will lead to optimum
results of these. Besides, TNI is a dynamic organization and the
reinstitution of a deputy is evidence of this dynamism, which may
be regarded as part of TNI's internal reform in aspects related
to its structure, doctrine, policies and strategies, moral ethics
of soldiers and leadership. The basic task of the TNI is to
protect and safeguard various national interests, protect and
defend the integrity of national territory from the threat of
hostile aggression from other countries, prevent or reduce the
impact of regional damage as a result of acts taken by enemies
and fulfill international obligations.

The choice of Admiral Widodo AS as the present deputy
commander of the TNI is only natural because in terms of
personnel, the navy comes second after the ground forces. It
should also be kept in mind that two-thirds of Indonesia's
territory is made up of sea. As Indonesia has more territorial
water than land the following must always be taken into
consideration:

(i) Unless the territorial waters are well-managed and
controlled they will be vulnerable to incursions and smuggling
attempts. (Various kinds of drugs and pornographic VCDs can be
easily smuggled in by sea.)

(ii) Vast territorial waters mean Indonesia's sea potential
may generate huge amounts of foreign exchange if they are
properly managed and tapped.

These two factors explain why the position of deputy commander
of the TNI is entrusted to Admiral Widodo AS.

MUCHIBIN

Jakarta