Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – A military reformer, once tipped as a leading candidate to head the powerful Indonesian armed forces (TNI), died yesterday.

Close friends said that Lt-General Agus Wirahadikusumah, the 49-year-old Harvard-trained officer who made bitter enemies with several generals for exposing widespread corruption in the army, died of heart failure.

He is the third major reformist figure in the country to die in a space of two months. His death followed that of Attorney-General Baharuddin Lopa who also mysteriously suffered a fatal heart attack in Saudi Arabia and that of Supreme Court Justice Syafiuddin Kartasasmita.

Conspiracy theorists in Jakarta were fuelling suggestions that the general was perhaps another victim of a campaign by New Order forces to eliminate reformist elements.

"Things are beginning to get dirty now," said one prominent political figure in the past administration. "It just might be that some of his enemies in the army might have wanted to get rid of him because of this fear that he could pose a threat to their interests."

But there was little evidence to suggest foul play, even if Lt-Gen Agus had no record of serious medical problems. Dr Hidayat, a general practitioner and the general's brother, said that his brother did not suffer heart problems and other ailments.

A military ally and friend, Maj-Gen Saurip Kadi, said that he had met the general a week ago and he seemed in very good health. "It is such a big loss. He did not look like someone who was suffering from any chronic illness," he said.

But others close to Lt-Gen Agus said that he frequently complained of headaches and tiredness. One of his aides, Mr Idra, said that the general "appeared to be in his own world" after he was sacked from the Army Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad), which he headed for five months. The aide said the general was praying and reading the Quran all the time.

Lt-Gen Agus angered the military leadership when he uncovered US$41 million allegedly taken from his unit's operating budget by the man he replaced. He increasingly became a thorn in the side for several army officers after he called on the TNI to become a professional defence force rather than a tool for maintaining internal security.

He told The Straits Times in an interview recently that the military needed someone with "the guts" to bring about change. "I think I can do the job. I just need the chance to show that it can be done," he said.

But his attempt to secure the military chief's post, despite the backing of former president Abdurrahman Wahid, was in vain because of supposed resistance from within the ranks. "He was under a lot of stress and felt that his rivals were ganging up on him," said Mr Idra.

Family friends said the general collapsed at home at about 5am yesterday after complaining of chest pains and a high temperature. He was buried with full military honours yesterday.