Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Jakarta – Eighty-five high ranking Indonesian Military (TNI) officers are set to be rotated or promoted, a statement released on Tuesday by the TNI headquarters has confirmed.
The rotation and promotion is conducted based on an ordered by TNI commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo through a decree dated on Dec.4. The decree was issued on the heels of Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto's sole candidacy as Gatot's successor.
Among the rotated officers include Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) commander Lt. Gen. Edy Rahmayadi, who will be replaced by the Army Chief of Staff's operation assistant Maj. Gen. Sudirman.
Edy, who will be assigned as officer at the Army headquarters, is given an early retirement because he is set to run for a governor in North Sumatra in next year's election. He has secured political supports from the Gerindra Party and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).
Sudirman will be replaced by Maj. Gen. AM Putranto, the commander of the Sriwijaya Military Area Command. The latter's position will be filled by Maj. Gen. Subiyanto, who currently serves as the Army Chief of Staff's personnel assistant.
The TNI commander decree stipulates 85 senior officers, comprising 46 officers from the Army, 28 from the Navy and 11 from the Air Force, will be rotated.
The reshuffle came in less than two months after Gatot rotated 91 TNI senior officers in a decree dated on Oct. 27.
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has supported Hadi's sole candidacy to take over the TNI's top post from Gatot, who will retire in April next year, until his retirement in 2020. (ebf)