Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Minister of Defense Juwono Sudarsono wanted civilians, not military officers, to produce defense policies that would help reform the Indonesian Military (TNI), he says.
The minister's remark came amid criticism over the government's move to install high-ranking military officers as senior officials at the ministry in a major reshuffle that saw controversial figure Maj. General Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin as the new secretary general.
The reshuffle leaves Juwono as the only civilian in the top post of the ministry, which is currently facing the crucial task of reforming the military and putting it under full civilian control.
"I had a wish that civilians would fill the top posts in my ministry. I regret that none of the civilians met the requirements," Juwono said on Friday after officially inaugurated four high-ranking military officers as the ministry's secretary general and directors general.
Aside from Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, the other new top officials at the ministry are: Maj. Gen. Dadi Susanto as the new director general of defense strategy; Rear Marshal Piter Wattimena as director general of procurement; and Brig. Gen. Suryadi as director general of defense capability.
"I once tried to offer these posts to civilians, including activists and analysts, who are familiar with military and defense issues, but regretfully that some of them were not capable, while some others were not eligible," Juwono said.
He said existing regulations do not allow civilians who are not civil servants to fill the top positions at the ministry.
"[But] I have prepared 14 civilians concerned about defense issues to assist me and the ministry, and I expect that these civilians will be endorsed in the next reshuffle [as assistants to the minister]," Juwono said.
The reshuffle announced on Thursday, left the post of the director general of defense planning vacant.
Sources said that Juwono preferred Indra Djati Sidi, currently the director general of primary and secondary education at the Ministry of National Education, to fill the post.
Meanwhile, dozens of rights activists and victims of past human rights abuses staged a demonstration outside the Ministry of Defense on Friday to protest the appointment of Sjafrie, who had been linked to past military excesses including human rights violations in Jakarta and in East Timor.
The protesters said that the latest reshuffle in the ministry could seriously threaten the ongoing reform drive within the organization.
Juwono also raised a complaint over Law No. 34/2004 on the military which allowed servicemen to serve in certain civilian ministries, including the office of Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs, the Ministry of Defense and even the Supreme Court.
During Soeharto's three decades of autocratic rule, military officers occupied various civilian posts.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, himself a former general, has pledged to place the military under full civilian control.
"Our President ended his term of service in the military years ago. He is no longer a military man and he is quite supportive of me," Juwono said.