"(The new TNI commander) must maintain national sovereignty, which rests on national territory. (One of our issues) on national territory are foreign ships that often violate Indonesia's maritime border, thereby violating our sovereignty," Mahfud stated after attending Margono's inauguration ceremony as TNI commander at the State Palace here, Monday.
Apart from maintaining national sovereignty and territory, the coordinating minister underscored that the TNI should play its role as defender of the national ideology of Pancasila against ideologies considered to be a threat to the nation, such as separatism and radicalism.
"It is indeed part of national defense (duty). Preserving national territory and ideology is the duty of (the TNI) commander, and there would be many tasks to implement the mission. In these one or two days, we will coordinate with each other," he remarked.
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) earlier inaugurated Admiral Yudo Margono as the new TNI commander, succeeding General Andika Perkasa, who entered the mandatory retirement age of 58 this month.
Margono's inauguration was conducted on the basis of Presidential Decree of the Republic of Indonesia No. 91 TNI concerning the Dismissal and Appointment of the Commander of the Indonesian Defense Forces enacted on December 19, 2022.
The Admiral also vowed to conduct his duties and uphold the ethics of his position as TNI commander.
After the inauguration, the president called on Margono to maintain high public trust in the military by improving the professionalism of TNI officers. Jokowi urged the new TNI commander to maintain national sovereignty and unity.
He also called on Margono to ensure that the military will maintain neutrality amid the political process leading to the 2024 General Elections and synergize with the Police to maintain order.
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Translator: Rangga Pandu AJ, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Sri Haryati
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