Widjojo backs rotation of military chief

Widjojo backs rotation of military chief

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The position of Indonesian Military (TNI) chief should be rotated
among Army, Air Force and Navy officers in order to create
professionalism within the military, former military chief for
territorial affairs Lt. Gen. Agus Widjojo said on Monday.

However, Agus, who is now deputy speaker of the People's
Consultative Assembly (MPR), fell short of outrightly saying that
the post should now go the Air Force as many analysts had
suggested.

"It will be a process of learning. When it comes to military
operations, there is no separation between the three (Army, Navy,
and Air Force). There will be only one, the defense force," Agus
told the press here on Monday.

TNI is currently led by Widodo A.S., a Navy admiral whose
military service has been extended twice. His appointment in 1999
as TNI chief by then president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid broke
the Army's dominance of more than three decades under the
leadership of former authoritarian leader Soeharto.

Widodo's appointment also triggered calls for the military's
top post to be rotated between the Army, Air Force and the Navy.

With President Megawati Soekarnoputri planning to reshuffle
the military leadership, many observers have expressed the hope
that she would appoint the Air Force chief of staff as the new
TNI chief.

The Defense Law enacted in November 2001 stipulates that the
TNI chief should be chosen from among the incumbent or former
chiefs of staff of the Army, Air Force and Navy. As such, four
high-ranking military officers qualify for the job and they are
former Army chief Gen. Tyasno Sudarto, Air Force Chief of Staff
Marshall Hanafie Asnan, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Endriartono
Sutarto, and the Navy Chief of staff Adm. Indroko Sastrowiryono.

But the recent extension of military service of Gen.
Endriartono Sutarto has raised speculation that Megawati would
appoint the Army chief of staff as the next TNI chief.

Endriartono, whose military service has been extended for five
years, will reach his mandatory retirement age of 55 years old in
April, while Tyasno and Indroko will retire next year. Hanafie is
over 55 and had his service extended for five years by Gus Dur in
November, 2000.

The extension of the military service of the TNI chief and
chiefs of staff of the Army, Air Force and Navy is signed by the
President.

Agus said he did not know if the military headquarters had
submitted candidates for the TNI chief post to the President.

However, he emphasized that any figures submitted to the
President would definitely be professional military leaders.

The three-star general added that based on MPR Decree
VII/2000, the President has the prerogative to select the
military chief candidates but needs approval from the House of
Representatives (DPR) before installing a military chief.

Rumors have it that President Megawati would submit one
candidate to the House of Representatives (DPR) for approval this
week, but deputy House Speaker Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno from
Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
Perjuangan) said on Monday he had not received any letter from
the President.