Jakarta – The Commission for Disappearances and Victims of Violence (Kontras) has voiced its strong opposition to the appointment of Lt. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin as deputy to the defense minister for legal background reasons.
Coordinator of Kontras Usman Hamid said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's decision to appoint Sjafrie as deputy minister should be reviewed because it was against the 2004 Indonesian Military Law, prohibiting the promotion of active soldiers to political positions.
"Legally and administratively, Sjafrie's appointment while an active serviceman is unjustifiable as stipulated in Chapter 47 of the law," he said, adding that active servicemen were not eligible for ministerial posts and other political jobs.
He added that like two other deputy ministers, Yudhoyono should suspend Sjafrie's inauguration to prevent it from sparking opposition from the public.
Yudhoyono suspended swearing in Anggito Abimayu as deputy to the finance minister and Fahmi Idris as deputy to the health minister, because both have yet to reach the first echelon rank required by a 2008 law on Cabinet composition.
Yudhoyono on Wednesday swore in Sjafrie as deputy to the defense minister, Dipo Alam, a deputy to the coordinating economic minister as cabinet secretary and Lukita Dinarsyah as deputy to the National Development Agency minister/chairman.
Previously, Yudhoyono had appointed five deputy ministers, including Triyono Wibowo as deputy to the foreign minister and Bayu Khrisnamurti as deputy to the agriculture minister.
Usman said further concerning the promotion, Yudhoyono did not take Sjafrie's controversial track record into consideration.
"Sjafrie has to unveil accountability before the court on a series of political violence and human rights abuses in 1998.
"The President's step could tarnish Indonesia's good reputation concerning human rights. Even concurrently, he has been prevented by US security authorities from entering the country. It's not a simple case because it could undermine the military and defense cooperation between Indonesia and many other countries," he said.
Sjafrie was the Jakarta military commander when the capital was hit by riots that led to the ouster of former dictator Soeharto in May 1998, claiming thousands of lives in Jakarta and its outskirts.
He was also a confidant of Lt. Gen. Prabowo Subianto when the latter was commanding the army's special force before the series of bloody riots.
Defense Minister Purnomo Yusginatoro said there was no problem with Sjafrie's appointment as deputy defense minister.
"I will not accept someone to accompany me as defense minister if I did not know their profile," he told a press conference at the Defense Ministry.
"There is no problem with his appointment. I am the guarantor. He is experienced in the defense sector so he does not need a transition period."
When asked whether a recent rejection by the US government to grant Sjafrie with a visa could disrupt the acquisition of a weapon system, Purnomo said Indonesia did not procure weapon systems solely from the US. "We are also procuring weapons locally and from other countries," he said.
Commenting on the controversy, Sjafrie said it was common worldwide. "We should not be shackled by controversy. "We should show our performance and integrity."