Yeremia Sukoyo – The new chief of staff of the Indonesian Army has made a strong commitment to ensure a smooth and peaceful national election next year.
Welcoming Lt. Gen. Budiman as the new Army chief of staff on Friday, the former chief of the Indonesian Military Adm. Agus Suhartono on Monday called on Budiman to stay on course with current military initiatives.
"The TNI [Indonesian National Defense Force] must consistently stay true to its commitment to remain neutral and to consistently safeguard the 2014 general elections," he said. "Such neutrality will be key for the TNI's role to oversee smooth and peaceful general elections."
He emphasized that the 2014 general elections and the leadership succession was an important moment for the Indonesian people because the country's national development depended on it.
Budiman agreed that the TNI should keep its neutrality in next year's general elections and vowed to take firm action against members who violated it.
Other initiatives from the new leadership are to engage in active military diplomacy with other countries in order to enhance training and education and perform joint military exercises to build mutual respect and understanding.
Referring to the global and national economic slowdown, Agus said the TNI should prioritize and strengthen its capacity to secure the country's border areas and outer islands, but that it should remain prudent.
"My hope is that all officers, especially in the Indonesian Military, will avoid any form of propaganda and provocation that could disrupt the sovereignty and unity of the Republic of Indonesia," Agus said.
Budiman, replacing Gen. Moeldoko who has now assumed the position of chief of the military, said he would continue to carry out his predecessors' programs which included improving the professionalism of military personnel.
Budiman added his own initiatives, stating that he hoped to also increase the military's engagement with the community to build closer relationships with the public and improve the army's reputation.
"We will increase our involvement so that the people will like us more. This is because we come from the people and are paid by the people. We also have to be accountable to the people so that we can meet the public's expectations," the new chief of staff said.
Budiman was the defense ministry's secretary general before being appointed in his new role based on a recommendation by the chief of the military.
Meanwhile, Moeldoko earned unanimous approval from the House of Representatives last week as the new TNI chief to replace Agus.
Agus approved Moeldoko's appointment, saying he was capable of taking on the new role. "First of all, he is the best graduate [of his class], he also has enough experience as well as capacity for high quality [of work]," Agus said last week.
The outgoing TNI chief advised his successor to "be consistent with what we have planned in order to empower the military."
During his fit-and-proper test prior to being approved by the House, Moeldoko promised to improve the welfare of soldiers, especially that of commanders, by boosting their salaries.
"The increase in their remuneration will be raised from 37 percent to 57 percent," he said, adding that he would also consider providing housing and medical facilities for members of the armed forces.
Moeldoko said his development plan for the military will further include improving the professionalism and welfare of soldiers, maintaining stability, more openness, and modernizing the military's primary weapons systems.
He said procuring primary weapon systems was part of an effort to modernize the Indonesian armed forces and lessening the country's dependence on foreign systems, which risk being subject to embargoes.
The two military leaders assume their new roles at a time of increased public scrutiny of the TNI following high-profile cases of abuse of power, friction with the police and human rights violations.