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)