As the current Chief of the Indonesian Army (TNI), General Andika Perkasa, will reach retirement age on December 21, the public expects President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to choose the replacement for ‘Andika.

Although Jokowi himself has signaled an impending change of guard at the TNI, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Sufmi Dasco said House leaders have yet to receive the President’s letter about it. . Jokowi has also kept his preference secret, but according to the 2004 TNI Act, the President’s choices are limited to Army Chief of Staff General Dudung Abdurachman, Navy Chief of Staff , Admiral Yudo Margono and Air Force Chief of Staff Marshal Fadjar Prasetyo. .

However, of the three military chiefs of staff, Yudo has made waves in public discourse as the most possible option for Jokowi’s third TNI commander, considering that the president has yet to give the navy the opportunity to take command. Yudo was also a close second in 2021 as a replacement for then-TNI Commander-in-Chief Field Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto when pressure mounted on Jokowi to give Yudo a chance to maintain the tradition of rotating leadership. of the TNI between its three services, ensuring a sense of equality between its ranks and its files. The president finally went to give the army a second chance by choosing Andika.

This year, Yudo once again clashes with the military amid speculation that the president is tempted to hand Dudung the post of TNI leader for political reasons ahead of the 2024 elections. Like Andika, Dudung comes from a elite environment. His father-in-law was the late Major General (Retired) Cholid Ghozali, who was on the supervisory board of Baitul Muslimin Indonesia, the umbrella organization of the Indonesian Struggle Party (PDI-P) to reach out to Muslim voters. .

While serving as Governor of the Military Academy in 2020, Dudung also caught the eye of PDI-P President Megawati Soekarnoputri after building a statue of Founding President Sukarno in the academy.

Dudung gained notoriety for cracking down on the now-defunct Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) when he was Jakarta’s military commander in late 2020. However, due to his controversy in recent months after a video of him was seen ordering army soldiers PDI-P lawmaker Effendi Simbolon, in response to his criticism of the army, civil society groups have called on the president to appoint Yudo as the next leader of the TNI.

Many said that Jokowi’s promise to turn Indonesia into a global maritime hub should be reason enough to choose Yudo. Not to mention that Indonesia faces many challenges and threats in its waters since the war between Ukraine and Russia, as well as simmering regional tensions due to competition from world powers in the South China Sea. and the Indo-Pacific zone. All geopolitical phenomena should justify the country’s need to strengthen its naval power and let the navy take charge.

What else

It seems that Yudo is aware that he cannot rely on Jokowi’s blessing alone. Over the past year, Yudo has taken some steps to achieve his dream. Among the eminent persons he has approached is the President of the PDI-P, Megawati Soekarnoputri.5 On June 20, Yudo invited Megawati to attend a ceremony marking the inaugural service of a navy corvette named after his father, KRI Bung Karno. Yudo also invited Megawati on August 11 as a keynote speaker at a discussion on Javanese heroine Ratu Kalinyamat at the KRI Dewaruci training ship, where he praised Megawati for supporting Navy capability development despite her lack of military training.

It is assumed that Yudo is following in Dudung’s footsteps trying to impress Megawati. Yudo lost to Andika in 2021 despite Hadi’s backing due to his contagious lobbying of Jokowi’s inner circle. This time, it seems that Yudo is aware that he will lose again if he just waits for news from the State Palace, because in addition to his lesser popularity compared to Dudung, Yudo has also contributed less to the powers in square.

Meanwhile, Dudung has been visiting Islamic boarding schools since the beginning of this year to further increase his popularity and support base. He also had the idea of ​​recruiting enlisted men and non-commissioned officers from boarding schools.

What we heard

Several sources in the House said that so far Yudo had gained the upper hand in the race for the post of TNI leader thanks to Andika’s personal support.

Two sources, one of whom is close to Yudo, said Andika started participating in Navy activities with Yudo. One of them is the integration of the commission and the inauguration of Andika as an honorary member of the Marine Corps. Yudo himself pinned the purple beret on Andika.

According to the same source, the opportunity for army and air force leaders remains but is slim due to the tradition of rotation. “It’s the Navy’s turn to lead the TNI,” the source said.

Disclaimer

This content is provided by Tenggara Strategics in collaboration with Jakarta Post to serve the latest comprehensive and reliable analysis on the political and business landscape of Indonesia. Access our latest edition to read the articles listed below:

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