President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Thursday inaugurated Budi Susilo Supandji as the new governor of the strategic National Defense Agency (Lemhanas), replacing Muladi.

Budi, the younger brother of former Attorney General Hendarman Supandji, was previously the Defense Ministry's directorate general of defense potential.

Muladi said the replacement was called for after his six years at the post. "It has been planned since four months ago. I'm already longest-running governor of Lemhanas, so no need to make an issue out of it," he said.

Muladi became the agency's governor in August 2005, replacing Ermaya Suradinata.

He also said his replacement had nothing to do with his statement about Ahmadiyah. "There's nothing wrong with my Ahmadiyah statement. I even wrote about the Ahmadiyah in Kompas [daily] today," he said.

On Feb. 8, Muladi suggested that, to prevent attacks on its followers, Ahmadiyah become a new religion and stop claiming that it is a part of Islam.