MPR Support To Revive The Position Of Deputy TNI Commander

The atmosphere in the plenary courtroom (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - Deputy Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly Ahmad Basarah supports President Joko Widodo's efforts to revive the post of deputy commander of the TNI. The reason is that the TNI has a complex task not only to handle national defense and humanitarian issues.

"So that the need for the work of the TNI institution is increasingly complex. In my view, it is important to consider having a deputy TNI commander present."

Ahmad Basarah

The PDIP politician then compared the position of Deputy Commander to the leadership structure in the Police. "The police institution has a deputy chief of police, especially the TNI, which has three dimensions, the Air Force and the Army. So our view needs to be considered for the presence of a deputy TNI commander institution," he said.

Basarah said it would not matter if the position was revived as long as it was needed in the institution. He believes the president has an in-depth study to revive the position of deputy commander of the TNI.

"I think the president as the top leadership of the TNI has a view, has an in-depth study. Of course there is input from various parties, also from the TNI commander regarding the importance or absence of the position or structure of the deputy commander of the TNI itself," he continued.

Basarah also did not want to comment on the possibility of twin suns in the TNI leadership structure between the commander and his deputy. He believes that the division of tasks and main tasks and duties of work can be carried out well.

"Later regarding the job description and authority regarding the TNI commander and deputy commander, I think the presidential regulation can regulate that. But the most important thing is in my opinion what the real needs of the TNI institution are," he said.

Commander of the TNI (Doc. Puspen TNI)

Not Contradictory to the Spirit of Bureaucratic Reform

Basarah added that the spirit of reform must be seen from the needs of the nation. So it's not just the enthusiasm to create or not create a new structure. But it must be seen in a more comprehensive study.

"The TNI institution is currently needed to be present not only as an institution that maintains national defense, which maintains the nature of the situation in a state of war. I think the TNI is increasingly complex, our nation also increasingly needs the presence of the TNI for activities to support the police in eradicating terrorism, extremism, and various kinds of threats to national sovereignty, "he explained.

The deputy chairman of the MPR said that this was the background for the structure of the TNI institution to be strengthened. Is it the consideration that by presenting a deputy TNI commander, he said, the President of the Republic of Indonesia as the TNI commander in chief knows that need.

Judging from the setneg.go.id page, the position of Deputy Commander is the coordinator of the development of TNI forces in order to realize interoperability / Integrated Tri Matra, who is positioned below and responsible to the TNI Commander. The position is intended for high-ranking officers with the rank of general or four stars.

This position was removed, the 4th President of the Republic of Indonesia Abdurahman Wahid (Gus Dur) through a presidential decree or presidential decree dated September 20, 2000. Now President Jokoi has revived the position and is stipulated in Presidential Regulation Number 66 of 2019 concerning TNI Organizational Structure.