An Indonesian parliamentary committee sent President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's nomination to lead the armed forces to the full Parliament on Thursday after the nominee assured them of his commitment to rein in corrupt military business interests and prevent human rights abuses.
Djoko Suyanto, who currently heads the air force, said he would cooperate with the attorney general's office on human rights cases, although he added that the responsibility for any unsuccessful prosecutions would lie with the civilian justice system.
Suyanto, who studied in 1983 at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, told the parliamentary defense committee Wednesday that he favored total civilian control over the military and would eliminate participation by military officials in the political process.
He also said that he would support the government's efforts to investigate the military's involvement with business interests. In many parts of Indonesia, the military is engaged in legal activities such as owning hotels and shopping centers, but it is also linked to illegal operations, such as logging and gambling. In particular, Suyanto said, he supported the efforts of a group of cabinet ministers that is auditing the military's business practices.
"The military is not allergic to change," Suyanto, 55, told the committee. A final vote on the nomination is expected Tuesday. Widjajanto, a lecturer at the University of Indonesia and a military analyst, said Suyanto, if approved, was likely to continue the initial reforms of the outgoing military leader, General Endriartono Sutarto.
"His whole experience is based on combat, and he has no track record of abuse or human rights violations," Widjajanto said. "And because he has always been involved with military operations, he has never been involved with politics."
Recent efforts to overhaul the military, notably its involvement in politics, have produced better relations with the United States. The Bush administration has encouraged closer ties with the military, seeing it as possible partner in its campaign against terrorism.
In November, the administration lifted prohibitions on the sale of lethal American equipment after restoring training for Indonesian armed forces earlier in the year. Washington had cut military assistance to Indonesia in 1991, after the army cracked down on the independence movement in East Timor, formerly an Indonesian province, and sanctions were further tightened in 1999 after the army killed more than a thousand civilians there.
Suyanto defended the military's organizational structure, which is left over from the three-decade rule of Suharto, who was ousted in 1998, even though some critics of the military want to dismantle it. Suyanto said the structure was helpful as an "early warning system" against terrorism because it gave the military a presence at all levels of the country, from provinces to districts to villages. He said he intended to keep it, despite concerns that the structure encourages involvement by the military in civilian affairs.
During the hearing Wednesday, lawmakers expressed concern that the commander of the air force, the smallest branch of the military, would have trouble asserting control over the army, which is the most powerful branch of the Indonesian military.
"I think he is the best for the job," said H. Ade Nasution, one of the members of Parliament who questioned Suyanto. "But he will have to assert his authority with confidence if he wants to control the army."
Meaningful reform of the military, some believe, will depend on the extent to which Parliament and the president insist on change. "There are still parts of the military, especially the army, that is resistant to reform," said Ikrar Nusa Bhakti, a military affairs expert at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences.
Source:
Peter Gelling International Herald Tribune
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2006
PowerPR alert on Indonesia
- ‘UNIQLO Goes to School’ Bekali Siswa di Surabaya Memasuki Industri Ritel - 8/28/2017
- British Company Churchill Mining Plc Published False Information And Blackmails Indonesian Government - 10/18/2012
- Indonesia Stands Firm in Churchill Mining Dispute - 9/26/2012
- Indonesia vs Churchill Mining: Churchill has never secured a Mining Business License in Indonesia - 9/24/2012
Indonesia News
- Indonesia finance minister denies resignation rumours amid stocks plunge - Reuters - 3/18/2025
- Indonesia lawmakers set to pass amended bill allowing more military in government - Reuters.com - 3/18/2025
- Indonesia activists condemn amendment allowing more military in government - Yahoo - 3/18/2025
- Indonesia to Question More Than 500 Citizens Freed From Myanmar Scam Centres - U.S. News & World Report - 3/18/2025
- Digital Realty Enters Indonesia Through Formation of New Joint Venture - PR Newswire - 3/18/2025
Indonesia Business News
- Indonesia Business Post - Indonesia Business Post - 3/18/2025
- I am here, and will not resign: Sri Mulyani - Indonesia Business Post - 3/18/2025
- TBS Energi Utama Completes Acquisition of Sembcorp Environment Pte. Ltd., Moving Closer to Full Transformation into a Sustainability-focused Business - Media OutReach - 3/18/2025
- Indonesia Markets - WV News - 3/18/2025
- Free lunch program benefits Chinese manufacturing industry: Businessman - Indonesia Business Post - 3/18/2025
Indonesia Economy
- Indonesia finance minister denies resignation rumours amid stocks plunge - Reuters - 3/18/2025 -
- Indonesia economic fundamentals strong despite market falls, minister says By Reuters - Investing.com - 3/18/2025 -
- Market Crash: Indonesian stocks plunge the most since 2011 as growth worries mount - CNBCTV18 - 3/18/2025 -
- Indonesian stocks plunge 7% as growth, fiscal worries weigh - The Edge Malaysia - 3/18/2025 -
- Digital infrastructure opens new horizons for Indonesia - JD Supra - 1/15/2025 -
Indonesia Group of Company
- New carriers Indonesia Airlines, Fly Jaya set to take off in 2025 - The Jakarta Post - 3/11/2025 -
- AnyMind Group becomes B2B distributor for Nutrifood on Shopee Mart in Indonesia - AnyMind Group - 3/6/2025 -
- Indonesian Technology Company, WIR Group to Introduce Indonesia's Metaverse Prototype - ACN Newswire - 5/3/2022 -
- Garuda Indonesia and Japan Airlines Commence Joint Business - JAL - 3/7/2025 -
- Indonesia Airlines to operate soon, focusing on international flights - Indonesia Business Post - 3/10/2025 -
Indonesia Finance
- Indonesia finance minister denies resignation rumours amid stocks plunge - Reuters - 3/18/2025 -
- Indonesia’s Indrawati Says She Is Not Quitting as Finance Chief - Yahoo Finance - 3/18/2025 -
- Indonesia Finance Chief Focused on Job Amid Resignation Talk - Bloomberg - 3/18/2025 -
- Indonesia Quells Investor Fears after Denying Rumor of Finance Minister Resignation - KAOHOON INTERNATIONAL - 3/18/2025 -
- Indonesia’s Deputy Speaker denies Finance Minister Sri Mulyani stepping down - The Straits Times - 3/18/2025 -
Indonesia Banking - News
- Grab, Singtel-backed Super Bank mulls IPO: report - Asian Banking & Finance - 1/15/2025 -
- Instapay Technologies Enters Indonesia in Collaboration with Amar Bank - SME Magazine - 3/17/2025 -
- VinFast and Bank Negara Indonesia Partner to Accelerate EV Adoption in Indonesia - Fintech News Singapore - 3/17/2025 -
- Banking on sustainability: structural adjustment and forestry reform in post-Suharto Indonesia - cifor-icraf - 2/15/2025 -
- Indonesia's central bank uses Ramadan sermons to preach on inflation, Money News - AsiaOne - 3/10/2025 -
Indonesia Investment - News
Indonesia Capital Market - News
Indonesia State-Owned Company - News
Indonesia Mining
Indonesia Energy - News
Indonesia Airlines - News
Indonesia Infrastructure - News
Indonesia Shipping and Cargo - News
Indonesia AgriBusiness
Indonesia Entrepreneurship
Indonesia Corporation
Reuters: Business News
Strategic Indonesia
Indonesia Law Enforcement
Indonesia Corruption - News
Indonesia Money Laundering Update
Indonesia Reform Update
Indonesia Religion Issues
Indonesia Security Issues
Indonesia Politics Issues
Indonesia Election 2009 Issues
Indonesia Education Update
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment