Gen. Agus Subiyanto, the sole nominee for the Indonesian Military (TNI) chief, will face a barrage of questions over his meteoric rise to the top post and his commitment to keeping the TNI neutral in the lead up to next year’s elections, at his confirmation hearing this week.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has nominated the 56-year-old Army chief of staff Agus to replace outgoing commander Adm. Yudo Margono, who will retire later this month, marking the rise of another longtime ally of the President in one of the country’s most strategic institutions nearing the end of his presidency.

But Jokowi’s own party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), has reservations about confirming Agus, whose nomination came only days after Jokowi promoted him to the Army’s top post.

The PDI-P, the largest party at the House of Representatives, has seen its relationship with the President deteriorate since he let his eldest son Gibran Rakabuming Raka be named as running mate to presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto, who is a rival to the PDI-P’s candidate Ganjar Pranowo.

Lawmakers from the PDI-P will grill Agus on his commitment “to maintaining neutrality” and “keeping the military out of politics” at the confirmation hearing on Monday, senior party politician Tubagus Hasanuddin told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

“The President has the prerogative to nominate anyone, but we will do our part, to decide whether Agus is fit for the job,” Tubagus said, claiming that the party was responding to growing public concerns about TNI neutrality.

Read also: Jokowi nominates loyalist for TNI chief

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