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resident Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono lashed out on Monday at several active generals both in the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police whom he has accused of failing to maintain their neutrality ahead of the July 9 presidential election.

'€œThis is hardly slander, as my sources have confirmed that certain quarters have approached several high-ranking officers in order to get their support for presidential candidates,'€ he said during a meeting that Yudhoyono convened specifically to discuss the neutrality of the TNI and police in the election, which was held at the Defense Ministry headquarters on Monday morning.

Present at the meeting were TNI Commander Gen. Moeldoko, Army chief of staff Gen. Budiman, Air Force chief of staff Air Chief Marshal Ida Bagus Putu Dunia and Navy chief Adm. Marsetio.

In his speech, the President also accused the TNI officers of being disloyal to him as the military'€™s supreme commander.

'€œThere has been a suggestion that they [the officers] ought to abandon their President and not to listen to him, because he is in '€˜a sinking ship'€™ [...] It is much better to follow a bright new star,'€ Yudhoyono said while scanning the faces of his audience.

Yudhoyono then went on to remind all military officers to uphold the military code, Sapta Marga, as well as the soldier'€™s oath, both of which provided ethical and moral guidance.

Yudhoyono said that he convened the meeting to right the wrong that had taken place in the military. '€œI initiated this meeting myself and wanted it to be openly broadcast to the public ['€¦] because we are in election season, when politics leads to bouts of suspicion and intrigue,'€ he said.

Speculation was rife that Yudhoyono'€™s ire was directed at Moeldoko, who had been tapped as a running mate for the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle'€™s (PDI-P) presidential candidate Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo.

In April, Moeldoko met with Jokowi amid speculation that he could be the right figure for the Jokowi ticket. At the time, several PDI-P executives hinted at the possibility of Moeldoko being nominated as Jokowi'€™s running mate.

Moeldoko himself was vague when asked about his response to the proposal.

'€œIf I were to refuse the offer then everybody would call me arrogant but if I said yes, well, the fact is that I am still carrying out my duties as military commander. Therefore, I will focus my energy on the latter right now,'€ Moeldoko told The Jakarta Post in March.

Last week, the Constitutional Court upheld a ban on active members of the military and police from voting in elections, after receiving appeals for the 2008 Presidential Election Law to be reviewed.

Following Yudhoyono'€™s speech, Budiman gave an assurance that his institution would remain neutral in the presidential election, citing the Army'€™s neutral stance in the April 9 legislative election as proof of this.

'€œWe will stay neutral, right down to the lowest level of command at the village level,'€ Budiman said.

Budiman also denied a high-ranking officer in the Army was leaning toward one of the presidential candidates.

'€œWe will not discredit our own institution by being biased,'€ he said.

Commenting on the President'€™s speech before the TNI leadership, political analyst Indria Samego of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) said that Yudhoyono'€™s complaints were justified given his access to confidential information on the military.

'€œHe [Yudhoyono] must have collected and verified the information before going public,'€ Indria said.

Indria also blamed civilian politicians for their efforts to drag military figures back into politics.

'€œWe still treat the TNI the way we used to when it was still actively involved in politics. Times have changed but many still attempt to involve former soldiers in politics. For me, this reflects a lack of confidence by civilians, who regard former members of the military as having considerable authority due to their past experience in politics, as well as their business networks,'€ he said. (tjs/gda)