H

uman rights watchdog Imparsial said Lt. Gen. Pramono Edhie Wibowo, the President’s brother-in-law, touted as a potential presidential candidate for 2014, is one of two officers eligible for the post of Army chief of staff with a poor human rights record.

Pramono, the chief of the Army Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad), headed the Army Special Forces (Kopassus) team in 1999. Kopassus was deployed to Timor Leste at the time of a referendum on independence.

A Kopassus team slipped into Dili on Sept. 5, 1999, a day before Bishop Carlos Felipe Ximenes Belo’s house was attacked, Imparsial program director Al-Araf said on Sunday.

The Indonesian Military’s (TNI) campaign surrounding the 1999 referendum resulted in the killing of more than 1,000 civilians.

Al-Araf said another eligible officer with a poor track record was former Timor Leste military commander and current TNI inspector general Lt. Gen. Noer Muis, who was also believed to be involved in the same incident. Noer was cleared by both an ad-hoc human rights high court and the Supreme Court of the allegations.

Al-Araf said it was important for institutions such as the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) to scrutinize the track records of all officers.

“It is sensible to not only consider the prerequisite level of rank and career, but also the officers’ commitment to protecting human rights,” he said.

TNI spokesman Rear Adm. Iskandar Sitompul said three officers were potential candidates for the post of Army chief of staff: Pramono, deputy Army chief of staff Lt. Gen. Budiman and Army chief of educational and training Lt. Gen. Marciano Norman.

Imparsial said seven lieutenant generals within the Army were eligible for the post. Al-Araf said Imparsial suspected all seven officers had “inadequate track records”.

Al-Araf said candidates for the post had to be free from corruption and criminal allegations, as well as being committed to upholding democracy and good governance. “We also demand they commit to military reforms,” he said.

The other three eligible officers are Lt. Gen. Johanes Suryo Prabowo, Lt. Gen. Hotmangaradja Panjaitan, Lt. Gen. Syarifuddin Tipe.

Army spokesman Brig. Gen. Wiryantoro told The Jakarta Post on Sunday that the Army may only promote candidates who had a rank of three-star generals.

“I cannot comment on their track records,” Wiryantoro said, adding that the President would have the final say on the appointment.