Try Sutrisno, The Vice President of the Suharto Era Who Served at Kodam Udayana, Passes Away

Retired Lieutenant General Try Sutrisno, Indonesia’s sixth Vice President, passed away at the Central Hospital of the Indonesian Army (RSPAD) Gatot Subroto in Jakarta on Monday, 2 March 2026 in the morning. Try Sutrisno died at the age of 90.

Try Sutrisno was known as a military officer who remained loyal to President Suharto. He previously served as presidential aide, Commander of the Indonesian Armed Forces (KSAD), before ultimately becoming Indonesia’s sixth Vice President during the New Order era.

It is noted that Try previously served as Chief of Staff of Kodam Udayana. He was subsequently transferred to become Commander of Kodam Sriwijaya in 1979. He then took up the position of Commander of Kodam Greater Jakarta three years later.

In 1961, Try married Tuti Sutiawati. They were blessed with seven children consisting of four sons and three daughters.

Try Sutrisno’s Military Career

As a teenager, Try attempted to join the Poncowati Battalion during the independence revolution. However, he was only assigned as a courier. His task was to gather information and collect medicines from areas under Dutch control.

Following the revolution period, young Try Sutrisno enrolled at the Army Technical Academy (ATEKAD). He subsequently became friends with Benny Moerdani.

As a TNI soldier, Try received combat assignments in the field. This included participation in the PRRI Rebellion. In 1974, Try was appointed as President Suharto’s aide. Subsequently, his military career shone brightly.

He is recorded as having commanded three regional military commands (Kodam): Kodam Udayana, Kodam Sriwijaya and Kodam Greater Jakarta. In 1978, Try was appointed as Chief of Staff of Kodam Udayana and a year later became Commander of Kodam Sriwijaya.

The command baton of Kodam Greater Jakarta was handed to him in 1982. The Tanjung Priok incident left its mark on his record regarding allegations of human rights violations.

Try Sutrisno climbed to an even higher position by becoming Deputy Commander of the Army (Wakil KSAD) in 1985 and Army Commander (KSAD) in 1986. The pinnacle of his military career was reached in 1988 when he was appointed to replace General LB Moerdani.

Try Sutrisno’s Nomination as Vice President

Before direct elections were introduced, the President and Vice President were selected by the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR). Formally, this legislative body was permitted to nominate candidates. However, nominations during the New Order era typically awaited President Suharto’s direction.

Try Sutrisno was elected Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia at the MPR General Session in 1993. It is known that Try was proposed as a Vice Presidential candidate because of the Soedharmono nomination issue in 1988.

Although Soedharmono held the rank of three-star general, he was disliked by the armed forces circles. As a result, they proposed Try as a candidate.

This nomination of Try was said to have provoked President Suharto’s anger. However, Try was ultimately accepted by Suharto and the open conflict was averted. Try Sutrisno was then sworn in as Indonesia’s sixth Vice President on 11 March 1993.

During his term in office, Try’s relationship with President Suharto became strained. The peak came when Try commented that children of government officials should not use their parents’ names for business purposes. As a result of this statement, all media coverage concerning him disappeared.

Try Sutrisno’s duties as Vice President ended in 1998. His position was then replaced by BJ Habibie, who was elected Vice President through the 1998 General MPR Session.