TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has officially inaugurated Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Yudo Margono as the new National Armed Forces (TNI) Commander, in replacing General Andika Perkasa. Margono – who is the first ever TNI Commander from the Navy under the Jokowi administration appointed as Commander – will serve until November 2023.

General Andika Perkasa retirement comes in the middle of December.

His inauguration took place at the State Palace in Jakarta and saw a minor mistake by the Admiral who mispronounced one word in the oath of office.

A number of state officials and high-ranking military personnel were present in the inauguration such as the coordinating minister of politics, law, and security affairs Mahfud MD, minister of defense Prabowo Subianto, Army chief of staf general Dudung Abdurrachman, Air Force chief Marshal Fadjar Prasetyo, and national police chief general Listyo Sigit Prabowo.

As reported earlier, Margono had already gone through a fit-and-proper test conducted by Commission I (defense commission) House of Representatives (DPR) on December 2 through forum agreement without a voting process. The decision was announced by House defense speaker Meutya Viada Hafid on December 2 and was officially appointed in a House plenary on December 13.

In explaining his views before a number of House legislators, Yudo Margono pledged to keep soldiers in check amid public discourse on the arrogance shown by a minority of TNI soldiers. He also promised to use a more humane approach to overcome issues that arise in Papua.

“I explained that TNI must remain assertive yet humanistic,” said Yudo at the DPR headquarters on December 2.

FAJAR PEBRIANTO

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