T

he government may bend the unwritten rotation rule for the top post in the Indonesian Military (TNI), a tradition that was implemented after the fall of the New Order regime.

Although President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo has remained tight-lipped about the successor to current TNI commander Gen. Moeldoko, who will retire in July, Vice President Jusuf Kalla has questioned the need to continue the tradition, stressing that the rotation pattern was not mandatory.

'€œThere is no law specifying whether now is the turn for the Army, the Air Force or the Navy. The President will, of course, select someone highly capable,'€ Kalla said on the sidelines of a visit to South Sulawesi on the weekend as quoted by Antara news agency.

Quoting the 2004 law on the TNI, Kalla went on to say that the only mandatory requirement was that the person was a TNI chief of staff from one of the three forces.

'€œAs the condition [to rotate the post] is unwritten, the only requirement [of the next TNI commander] is therefore that the person is a TNI chief of staff who is a four-star general,'€ Kalla concluded.

Kalla'€™s remarks reiterated previous statements by Jokowi'€™s ministers, including Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno and Cabinet Secretary Andi Widjajanto, who both concurred that the next TNI chief would not necessarily be from the Air Force, which was to have the next turn after the Army, according to the rotation pattern.

Moeldoko succeeded Adm. Agus Suhartono of the Navy in 2013, following the tradition.

The tradition of rotating the military'€™s top post among the forces was implemented after the fall of the New Order regime, when Army generals dominated the position as head of the then Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI), constituting the three services of the TNI and the National Police.

In the spirit of the Reform Era, the succeeding presidents after Soeharto have continued the pattern to ensure harmony among the forces, excluding the National Police, which have become an independent entity from the military.

If Jokowi sticks to the tradition, the baton should be passed to Air Force chief of staff Air Chief Marshall Agus Supriatna.

But with his aides saying the government may not stick with the tradition, Jokowi may instead appoint one of the other two chiefs of staff as the next TNI chief.

With the President'€™s maritime vision, he may consider appointing Navy chief Adm. Ade Supandi the next military commander.

Jokowi could also pick Army chief of staff Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo, although the choice would seem like a setback from the reform spirit of previous presidents.

Tubagus Hasanuddin, a lawmaker on House of Representatives Commission I overseeing defense, recalled the reason for the tradition being implemented during the leadership of former president Abdurrahman '€œGus Dur'€ Wahid: To reform the military.

'€œThus, severing the tradition means we'€™ll be going back to the New Order Era because back then we agreed to practice it as part of the reform agenda,'€ said the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician.

Referring to the TNI Law, which upholds equal opportunity for all forces, Hasanuddin emphasized that '€œone way to do so was by rotating the top position at the TNI'€.

The President is expected to submit the name of his next chosen TNI commander to the House before the current sitting session ends on July 10 for a confirmation hearing with lawmakers from House Commission I.

Lawmakers, including speakers of the House, said they would leave the decision to Jokowi, although a few of them, such as deputy speaker Fadli Zon, have reminded Jokowi of the consequences if he should decide to ignore the rotation pattern.

'€œIt is up to the President to chose who among the forces'€™ chiefs of staff will be the next TNI commander. He will not violate any laws if he wants to choose randomly. But he must be ready to face the consequences for not sticking with tradition,'€ said Fadli, a politician from the Gerindra Party.