Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) announced on Monday another major reshuffle that included the promotion of Maj. Gen. Agus Wirahadikusumah, a progressive figure, as the Army Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad) chief.
Starting from March 1, Agus, currently the Wirabuana/Sulawesi military commander, will take over from Lt. Gen. Djadja Suparman, with whom Agus had traded arguments in response to an investigation into Gen. Wiranto, their senior, over his alleged role in East Timor violence.
Another key change of guard in the massive shake-up that involved 74 officers was the replacement of TNI Chief of General Affairs Lt. Gen. Suaidi Marasabessy by Lt. Gen. Djamari Chaniago, who is the Army deputy chief of staff.
Djamari's successor will be Lt. Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, whose present post as chief of TNI's School of Command (Sesko TNI) will be given to Djadja. Suaidi will serve in the TNI Headquarters as a high ranking officer without portfolio.
In the wake of Wiranto's investigation, Djadja said TNI soldiers would react to any attempts to disgrace Wiranto out of loyalty. But Agus retorted, saying TNI soldiers pledged allegiance to the state not their superiors. Brig. Gen. Slamet Kirbiantoro, an expert staff at the TNI Headquarters, was appointed Agus' replacement.
The removal of Suaidi and Djadja, who were closely linked to former TNI chief Wiranto, came only three months after their appointment to their current posts and less than one month after the suspension of Wiranto from his job as the coordinating minister for political and security affairs.
But TNI spokesman Air Rear Marshal Graito Usodo, who announced the reshuffle, denied the speculation of a cleansing of Wiranto's supporters in the armed forces, saying it had gone through a long process. "Such reports were not taken into consideration when the TNI's board for high position [Wanjabti] met to decide the reshuffle," Graito said.
He said the latest reshuffle was conducted for the sake of TNI's organization and dynamism, while some officers affected are waiting for retirement. Graito conceded the replacement of strategic positions in the military was decided after consulting President Abdurrahman Wahid. "The reshuffle in strategic positions must be consulted with the president for the sake of the nation's interests," he said.
Graito said a rift between Wiranto and Agus had been discussed with the President, but the TNI spokesman insisted that Agus' promotion had nothing to do with the issue. "The rift was finished after the two met recently," said Graito.
Following his suspension as Cabinet minister, Wiranto criticized Agus for openly suggesting that he bow to the President's resignation call and join an opposition party. Wiranto said Agus breached the military etiquette of seniority. Djadja said he knew nothing about the reshuffle, but asserted that he was ready to serve whatever post he was bound for.
"As a soldier, I am ready to take my superior's order, as long as it is decided through proper procedure," he said after presiding over a ceremony in Kostrad's Division I Headquarters in Cilodong, Bogor, on Monday.
Graito said TNI Commander Admiral Widodo A.S. signed the decree on the reshuffle about 6am on Monday. The reshuffle included two posts in the defense ministry, 19 in the military headquarters, 18 in the air force, 14 in the army and 21 in the navy.
The shake-up also included the appointment of Brig. Gen. I Putu Sastra W., chief of an intelligence unit at the TNI's Intelligence Agency, as the new chief of the Presidential Security Guard (Paspampres), to replace Maj. Gen. Suwandi.
Maj. Gen. Kivlan Zen, an officer once linked to communal clashes in Maluku, will vacate his position as the coordinator of staff experts of Army Chief of Staff and join Suaidi as TNI officers without portfolio.
In Makassar, Agus, evaded reporters who wanted to interview him about his new post. He told The Jakarta Post in a telephone interview on Monday that his promotion did not surprise him. He admitted having heard the news a few days before. "It is God who decides our fate. It is God who gives me the new job," he said, adding that there was nothing special in his promotion. "I have not yet received official notice from the TNI Headquarters," he said.
Asked about his program as the new Kostrad chief, Agus said, "I don't want to comment on this. I am now still the chief of Wirabuana Military Command." Agus also said there was no need to thank the TNI chief who trusted him to hold the strategic post. Selected list of names in latest TNI's reshuffle
TNI Headquarters: Brig. Gen. Saurip Kadi, Senior official TNI Heaquarters (previous post), Assistant to Army Chief on territoria affairs (new post); Lt. Gen. Suaidy Marasabessy, Chief of TNI's General Affairs, Senior official at TNI Headquaters; Lt. Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, Chief of TNI's School of Command, Army deputy chief; Maj. Gen. Suwandi, Chief of Presidential Security Guard, Senior official at Army Headquarters; Rear Marshal Mudjiono Said, Deputy Chief of TNI School of Command, Air Force Deputy Chief; Brig. Gen. Slamet Kirbiantoro, Expert staff at TNI Headquarters, Chief of Wirabuana Military Command; Brig. Gen. I Putu Sastra W., Commander of Intelligence Unit at Military Strategic Intelligence Agency (Bais), Chief of Presidential Security Guard.
Army: Lt. Gen. Djamari Chaniago, Army Deputy Chief, Chief of TNI's General Affairs; Lt. Gen. Djadja Suparman, Army's Kostrad Chief, Chief of TNI's School of Command; Maj. Gen. Agus Wirahadikusumah, Chief of Wirabuana Military Command, Kostrad chief; Maj. Gen. Kivlan Zen, Coordinator of Army chief's expert staff, Senior official at Army Headquarters; Maj. Gen. Suprapto, Assistant to Army Chief on Territorial Affairs, Assiatant to Army Chief on Personnel Affairs; Col. Romulo Simbolon, Senior official at Army Headquarters, Chief of Staff at Jakarta Military Command.
Navy: Rear Adm. Djaelani, Chief of Jakarta Naval Base, Inspector General at Navy Heaquarters; Commodore J. Ferdinand Manengkei, Chief of the Navy's Combat Troops, Chief of Jakarta Naval Base; Air Force: Vice Marshal I Gede Sudana, Air Force Deputy Chief, Senior official at Airforce Headquarters; Rear Marshal Iskak Karmanto, Inspector General at Airforce Headquarters (new post); Rear Marshal Tatang Kurniadi, Chief of Infrastructure Development, Deputy Chief of TNI's School of Command; Rear Marshal Harry R. Gamdani, Chief of the Eastern Air Defense Territory, Deputy Assistant on Airforce Operation Affairs.