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Former Kostrad commander sworn in as new Army chief
resident Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono swore in Lt
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esident Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono swore in Lt. Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo on Friday as the new Army chief of staff to replace Gen. Budiman, who was abruptly removed from his position three months before he was due to retire.
"I will not change the existing program [laid out by Budiman]; I will continue it, but with evaluations," Gatot said after his inauguration at the State Palace.
He added that he would ensure that his men maintained neutrality until Oct. 20, when Yudhoyono will officially hand over the presidency to president-elect Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.
"We should be optimistic that everything will run peacefully and orderly, since those are the basic foundations for future development," Gatot added.
Gatot, a graduate of the military academy's 1982 class, was one of three candidates proposed by Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Gen. Moeldoko.
With Gatot's appointment, his previous post as the Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) commander is now empty.
Speculation has been rife that the sudden decision to replace Budiman was due to his political involvement in the run-up to the July 9 presidential election, particularly after Yudhoyono lashed out at military and police generals who were engaged in talks with political parties that solicited their support for the two presidential tickets in the July 9 poll.
Both the palace and Moeldoko have denied the allegations.
