Today, DPR Tests The Feasibility Of Candidates For TNI Commander General Agus Subiyanto

TNI General Agus Subiyanto was inaugurated as Army Chief of Staff (KSAD) at the State Palace, Jakarta, Wednesday, October 25. (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Commission I of the DPR has scheduled a fit and proper test for the sole candidate for TNI commander General Agus Subiyanto, Monday, November 13.

The name Agus Subiyanto was proposed by President Joko Widodo as a candidate to replace the TNI Commander Admiral Yudo Margono who will retire at the end of November 2023.

Member of Commission I of the DPR for the PDI-P faction TB Hasanuddin in his statement said that the Fit and Proper test for the candidate for TNI commander will be held by Commission I of the DPR openly.

Later, the candidate for TNI commander will explain the vision and mission if he serves as TNI commander.

Responding to this, the Director of Imparsial Gufron Mabruri who is a member of the Civil Society Coalition, Guarding the Democratic Election, asked the DPR to ensure the neutrality of the TNI in the 2024 General Election.

"The DPR must investigate allegations of political interest behind the appointment of Kasad as the sole candidate for TNI commander, to ensure the neutrality of the TNI in the 2024 General Election," said Gufron, Sunday, November 12.

According to Gufron, the change of TNI commander will affect the face and dynamics of the TNI's journey in the future, especially in the midst of holding the 2024 General Election.

Gurfon emphasized that the DPR as a people's representative institution has a political mandate to carry out control, so it is not allowed to make the fit and proper test limited to a formality political process.

In fact, he continued, the DPR could actually use its right to disagree and refuse if serious problems were found from the proposed TNI commander-in-chief candidate and asked the president to re-submit the name of the new candidate as his successor.

This is important, especially to ensure that there is no involvement of the TNI at all levels, either directly or indirectly in practical political activities, including the TNI, is used by the power elite for the purpose of winning certain candidates in electoral political contestation.

"The non-neutrality and involvement of the TNI in elections is dangerous, because it not only threatens freedom in elections, but also damages the 1998 reform agenda which requires the TNI to be neutral and not involved in various forms of practical political activities," he continued.

According to Gufron, the process of changing the TNI commander in this political contestation atmosphere should be free from pragmatic-political interests. The President and the DPR must avoid and abandon the pragmatic-political pattern in changing the TNI Commander, such as considering elements of closeness to the circle of power, group interests, and political gain.

"Plagangan yang berbasis pada pragmatist-politis menjadi berbahaya, karena selain menjadikan TNI susang dipolitisasi juga menggerus profesionalitas, merusak soliditas internal TNI, dan memundurkan agenda reformasi TNI," pungkasnya.