Jeremy Wagstaff and Puspa Madani, Jakarta – Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid swore in new army and navy commanders after failing to persuade increasingly assertive generals to accept one of his favored officers as deputy commander of the army.
Monday's appointments marked the end of a days-long tussle between the president and his generals, according to officers familiar with events. Mr. Wahid's supporters have presented the standoff as military resistance to civilian control, while some generals say the president is using his reform agenda as an excuse to assert more influence over the military.
On Monday, Gen. Tyasno Sudarto was replaced as army chief by his deputy, Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, while Admiral Achmad Sutjipto was replaced as navy chief of staff by his deputy, Adm. Indroko Sastro Wiryono. The appointments marked a victory for senior officers increasingly impatient with what they see as Mr. Wahid's growing interference.
Military officers said Mr. Wahid had failed on Saturday to persuade Gen. Sutarto to accept – as a condition of his promotion – the appointment of Lt. Gen. Agus Wirahadikusumah as his deputy. Gen. Wirahadikusumah, an outspoken reformist and a Wahid loyalist, was removed as head of the army's important strategic-reserve division, Kostrad, in August in what was also seen as a defeat for the president.
Military analyst Salim Said said the army's blocking of Mr. Wahid's choice for deputy chief indicated a strong display of unified military defiance. "This is very unnatural that so many officers send this message to the president," he said. "They are really saying, 'Take care.'" The latest confrontation revealed something of how entrenched the two sides have become, raising questions about whether the differences between Mr. Wahid and his military brass may erupt into public conflict. While the military as an institution isn't suspected of involvement in fomenting unrest in some Indonesian provinces or in recent terrorist bombings, such as last month's attack on the Jakarta Stock Exchange building, there are signs of growing army hostility toward Mr. Wahid. "This is a conflict between the military and civilian [government]. This is a sign it is not going to stop," said one senior officer sympathetic to Gen. Wirahadikusumah.
Resistance to Gen. Wirahadikusumah's rehabilitation was strong, according to military officers and diplomats. They said the outgoing army chief, Gen. Tyasno, had lobbied hard at several meetings of senior officers in the Java towns of Bandung and Solo to ensure his replacement wasn't Gen. Wirahadikusumah. The US-trained Gen. Wirahadikusumah is seen by many officers as too outspoken and his motives suspect.
"It's feared he would be busy looking for support for his political ambition in the name of the reform," said Indria Samego, a military affairs specialist at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences.
His military rivals have moved to discipline Gen. Wirahadikusumah and his supporters for alleged infractions of military regulations, according to officers familiar with the affair. Last Tuesday, Gen. Tyasno summoned Maj. Gen. Saurip Kadi, a protege of Gen. Wirahadikusumah who himself was removed as assistant to the army chief of staff in June. At the ensuing meeting, Gen. Saurip was accused of publishing a recent book on military affairs without seeking permission, something his supporters deny.
Separately, Gen. Wirahadikusumah was accused of making an overseas trip without obtaining written permission. His supporters say he did obtain clearance, but didn't consider obtaining a signed release order necessary. Gen. Sutarto, the newly appointed army chief, confirmed on Monday that action would be taken against Gen. Wirahadikusumah, including being "summoned before the officers' honor council or other sanctions." Gen. Wirahadikusumah's supporters present the internal military struggle as a battle between loyalists to former president Suharto and a new generation of reform-minded officers. But the reality, military analysts say, is more complicated. While the once-powerful armed forces is still smarting from its diminished role since the fall of Mr. Suharto, analysts believe most generals accept the inevitability of reform. Opposition to Gen. Wirahadikusumah and his allies has more to do with the generals' outspoken attacks on the military as an institution and his lack of field command experience, they say.
This week's shuffle is unlikely to end the strains between the president and his generals, or to foster greater stability at a time when many parts of Indonesia face unrest. Violence broke out in the West Papua town of Wamena Friday, when police thwarted attempts by independence activists to raise their flag. At least 40 people died in the clashes, mainly between local people and migrants from other Indonesian islands.