Two new military command chiefs of staff installed

JAKARTA (JP): Brig. Gen. Achmad Yahya and Brig. Gen. Albert Inkiriwang were installed on Tuesday as the new chiefs of staff of the Jakarta Military Command and the Jakarta Garrison respectively.

The two were installed by Jakarta Military Commander Maj. Gen. Djadja Suparman, who is also the garrison's commander, in a ceremony held at the command's East Jakarta headquarters.

Yahya, who was formerly chief of staff at the garrison, replaced Maj. Gen. Sudi Silalahi, who has been promoted to Assistant to the Armed Forces (ABRI) Chief of Sociopolitical Affairs. Sudi replaced Maj. Gen. Mardiyanto, who was appointed Governor of Central Java.

Born on Oct. 11, 1948, Yahya graduated from the National Military Academy in 1971.

Albert, who was born on Sept. 19, 1949, was in the staff of the assistant to the Army chief of staff for general planning before being appointed as the garrison's chief of staff on Sept. 15.

Djadja urged the newly installed officials to open dialogs with all parties who hold differences of opinion.

"Any differences of opinion should be led toward the same vision. There are certain parties, for example, who want to push their aspirations by exercising force and using unconstitutional means," he said.

"Whatever happens, you should find a solution that is in the nation's interest, using a sincere heart and clear mind," he said in his speech.

Among those present at the ceremony were Chief of Staff of the Army's Strategic Reserves Command Maj. Gen. Ryamizard, Deputy Jakarta Governor for Development Affairs Abdul Kahfi and the deputy chief of the city police, Brig. Gen. Sutanto.

Both Yahya and Albert expressed gratitude over their new appointments.

"I am ready to receive criticism from Bapak commander so that I can perform well in this post," Yahya said.

He later asked to be called by his last name, Yahya, not his first as is customary.

"If you call me Achmad, I might not turn my head to you because ever since I was a child, people have called me Yahya. I have never been called Achmad," he said.

Albert recalled that he found difficulty discovering what "Kasgartap", the acronym for his new post, stood for when news of his promotion was first announced.

"I asked my colleagues in the Army headquarters, but nobody knew. They gave diplomatic answers, such as 'I don't know what it is because I have never had the job," he said.

Albert said that he eventually found what the acronym stood for from a low ranking garrison officer. The acronym is actually short for "Kepala Staff Garnisun Tetap" (permanent chief of staff of the garrison). (ivy)