Yunus to replace Syarwan next month

Yunus to replace Syarwan next month

JAKARTA (JP): Armed Forces Chief of Sociopolitical Affairs Lt.
Gen. Syarwan Hamid, who becomes a legislator with the House of
Representatives on Oct. 1, will transfer his current duties next
month to his successor, Maj. Gen. M. Yunus Yosfiah.

Yunus is currently chief of the Armed Forces Staff and Command
School in Bandung, West Java.

Syarwan quoted Armed Forces Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung as
saying yesterday that the transfer ceremony would be held before
he joined the government-organized course for new legislators on
Sept. 9.

Last month Feisal named Yunus as the next Armed Forces chief
of sociopolitical affairs to replace Syarwan.

Feisal also said that Maj. Gen. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the
former Sriwijaya military commander overseeing South Sumatra,
Lampung, Jambi and Bengkulu, would be posted at Armed Forces
Headquarters in Cilangkap as Yunus' assistant. Susilo will
replace Maj. Gen. Budi Harsono.

In addition, Maj. Gen. Arie J. Kumaat, the assistant for
territorial affairs of the Armed Forces chief of general affairs,
would take Yunus' place at the Staff and Command School.

Born 53 years ago in Rappang, South Sulawesi, Yunus has had an
impressive military career which includes leading an operation
that killed Fretilin separatist chief Nocolao Lobato in East
Timor in late 1978. Yunus is married to an East Timorese.

In 1985, he returned to East Timor as Dili's military
commander, a position he held for two years. He capped his
territorial career as Sriwijaya military commander from 1994 to
1995.

He attended training courses at Fort Leavenworth in the United
States in 1979 and at the Royal College of Defense Studies in
Britain.

Asked why Armed Forces Headquarters took a month to set the
date for the transfer-of-duty ceremony, Syarwan said it was
because he had been waiting for the presidential decree for his
new post.

"Without the decree, I would've become unemployed," he joked.

Syarwan, who will lead 75 high-ranking military officers in
the House, has been rumored to have a chance at becoming House
speaker for the 1997/2002 term.

Feisal denied the speculation, saying that Golkar, the
victorious election contestant, will take the position.

Feisal was referring to Golkar chairman Harmoko who led the
dominant party to a haul of 74 percent of votes in the May 29
general election.

Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono said Harmoko deserved the
House's top job. He said that it would be logical that all 325
Golkar legislators would support Harmoko's nomination for the
position. (imn)