By: Prabowo Subianto [taken from the Book: Military Leadership Notes from Experience Chapter I: Exemplary Leaders of The Indonesian Armed Forces]
LIEUTENANT GENERAL TNI (RET.) HIMAWAN SOETANTO
One value I learned from Pak Himawan Soetanto is that a commander must be close to his men. A commander must be among his men when they wake up in the morning until they go to bed. A commander must check the condition of his men, starting from their kitchen, bathroom to the quality of their underwear.
Thanks to Pak Himawan Soetanto, I have developed a habit of checking the details of the kitchen and equipment of my men. Once, I found out that the soldiers’ white underwear had turned brown. I also found out that the kitchen had been the source of the most corrupt practices. Just imagine, one kilogram of meat was rationed for 16 people. In the TNI, this was known as ‘razor meat‘ because the meat was as thin as a razor blade. It was tragic, indeed.
Those are some of the things that I learned from the practical leadership of Pak Himawan Soetanto.
The first time I got to know Pak Himawan Soetanto was when I joined AKABRI in 1970. At that time, he served as the Deputy Governor of AKABRI in charge of education and training. He was very well-educated. He spoke excellent English and Dutch. He could even speak a little Japanese, which he had learned during the Japanese occupation of Indonesia.
He also liked to read history books. Once again, the great figures I know are avid book readers. A leader is a reader. ‘Good leaders must read diligently,’ as the famous adage goes. His residence houses a lot of books. Whenever I met him, he always discussed books with me. He sometimes asked if I had read books by B. H. Liddell Hart, a British historian of military strategies, or Sun Tzu, a Chinese military strategist, and other books.
Another thing that impressed me was his neat look. His face was always full of smiles. He was always humorous, calm but confident, and close to his men. He had a long combat experience, and it was evident in his bearing. This was in contrast to some who do not have much combat experience. They tend to be cold and distant with their men. They always want to obey the rules. Our term in the TNI for this type of figure is PUD-minded or PUD officer. PUD is the acronym for Internal Affairs Regulation.
Meanwhile, TNI leaders who are used to being present amidst their men in the field are usually more relaxed and flexible. PUD is adapted to conditions on the ground. Moreover, I remember an article in PUD saying that unit commanders may adapt the PUD to the condition of each unit. It means that a commander has great authority to tailor regulations based on needs and situations.
Therefore, one of the values I got from Pak Himawan Soetanto was that the commander must be close to his men. Commanders must be with them from dawn to dusk. Commanders must check on the condition of their men, ranging from the kitchen, bathroom, all the way to their underwear.
Learning from Pak Himawan Soetanto, I have a habit of checking kitchen details and equipment. At one time, I once found that my soldiers’ underwear were brown, not white anymore. I also learned that the kitchen had been the source of many corrupt practices. One kilogram of meat would be divided between 16 people! This became famous in the TNI as ‘razor meat’, meat as thin as a razor blade. Tragic.
Those are some practical leadership matters that I learned from Pak Himawan Soetanto.
Lieutenant General Himawan Soetanto has an illustrious career. He became an inspiration to many in the army. I was very close to him. I remained close to him even after his retirement. He was one of my mentors. A few days before his death, I visited him in the hospital. His son told me that, other than close family members, he also wished to see me. ‘Where is the combat general?’ His children were confused as to who he meant by “combat general”. Some of them tried to clarify whether he meant Prabowo. He nodded.
I was moved to hear the story. Therefore, when I came to visit him, I stood up straight and saluted him. By then, I had retired, and I came wearing civilian clothes. As we often conversed in English, I told him in English, ‘You are the real general, Sir!’ He shed tears. At that time, he could no longer speak. That is my memory of Pak Himawan Soetanto. It is a great honour that a general I admire was still hoping to see me in his last moments.
LIEUTENANT GENERAL TNI (RET.) SARWO EDHIE WIBOWO
Sarwo Edhie was charismatic. He was dashing, handsome, always neatly dressed. He was known as someone who led from the front. Even as the Special Forces Unit (RPKAD) commander, he was involved in the field. He was an idol of students, young people, and the idol of us, young officers and cadets.
As my mentor at AKABRI, he often shared his experiences. At that time, he instilled in us the spirit of not giving up, the spirit of patriotism.
He also had time to write a book titled My Life is for the Country and the Nation. That value was instilled in us as AKABRI Cadets. Patriotism through a love of the homeland and pride in the legacy of our forefathers. That was what Pak Sarwo instilled in us.
The first time I met General Sarwo Edhie was during my time as a cadet. He had yet to serve as the Governor of AKABRI (now AKMIL), but he was very famous.
Pak Sarwo Edhie was also a close friend of my parents. Before I formally became his cadet, I had heard many stories about Pak Sarwo from my parents, how Pak Sarwo led the Army’s Para Commando Regiment (RPKAD, now KOPASSUS) at critical moments in October 1965 during the G30S/PKI communist coup.
He was a charismatic figure. He was dashing, handsome, always well dressed. He was also well known as a commander who led operations from the front. As the Army’s Para Commando Regiment (RPKAD, now KOPASSUS) commander, he was still involved on the ground, so he is also an idol of young cadets.
As my mentor at AKABRI, he often recounted his experiences. At that time, he instilled in us the spirit of persistence and patriotism. He also wrote a book titled ‘My Life is for the Country and the Nation’. That value was drilled into us as AKABRI cadets. The spirit of patriotism through a love of the homeland and pride in the legacy of our forefathers, that was the spirit that Pak Sarwo Edhie imparted in us.
After he retired from active service, he briefly served as the Indonesian Ambassador for South Korea. For a short period, he was also Chairman of the Supervisory Body for the Internalization and Implementation of Pancasila Values (BP7). I remember how he maintained his attitude as a soldier.
As a soldier known for his honesty and integrity, he did not leave behind much wealth upon his passing. Coincidentally, in the course of his life, he married all his three daughters to AKMIL graduates. The eldest one to Infantry Colonel Hadi Utomo, of the graduation year 1970; the second one to General TNI Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, of the graduation year 1973, who would later become the sixth President of the Republic of Indonesia; and the youngest one to Lieutenant General TNI Erwin Sudjono, who would later become Commander of KOSTRAD. I also know these three officers well.
GRAND GENERAL TNI (RET.) ABDUL HARIS NASUTION
I feel privileged to have an amazing opportunity that not many get to experience in this country. It was to talk face-to-face with a key figure of the ‘45 generation, a key figure in the struggle for our independence: Pak Nas.
I feel like I became a student of a historical actor. He often shared his experiences, opinions, guerrilla warfare strategies, experiences against the Dutch, and many more with me. He was also very good at history and various languages, as were the other figures of the ’45 generation. He was a book reader, so, it was exciting to listen to him.
From the figure of Pak Nas, I learned that a general must truly master his profession and be an expert who is smart with a high IQ. In addition, Pak Nas was also a clean, honest, incorruptible and unpretentious figure. For his wonderful attitude, I am very respectful of him.
I met General Abdul Haris Nasution when I was a cadet at AKABRI in Magelang. He occasionally visited Magelang to give lectures. Moreover, he was a close friend of the family of Brigadier General dr. H. Sajiman, Director of the Armed Forces Hospital of Magelang. At that time, I often visited the residence of Sajiman’s family.
There, I came to know Pak Nas and Bu Nas. He often gave a talk to us, the cadets. So, we knew of the struggle Pak Nas went through as one of the founders of the TNI, as the Commander of the Java Command under Supreme Commander General Sudirman.
Many of his policies and thoughts have successfully influenced the TNI, even until this day. For example, the Decree for the formation of the Red Beret Corps, known as the Army Commando Corps, was from the then Army Chief of Staff Colonel Abdul Haris Nasution.
I feel privileged for the amazing opportunity not many in this country may have had the chance to experience – to have personal conversations with a key figure of the ‘45 generation, a man who played a central role in the struggle for our independence.
I feel like I became a student of a historical figure of this country. He often shared his experiences, opinions, guerrilla warfare strategies, experiences fighting the Dutch, and many more. He was very knowledgeable about history and talented at learning various languages, as were the other figures of the ‘45 generation. And, he was an avid reader, so it is exciting to listen to his stories.
From Pak Nas, I learned that a general must truly master his profession, be an expert, and be smart with a high IQ. In addition, he should also be clean, honest, simple, unpretentious and incorruptible. For his inspiring attitude, I held him in high regard.
He continued to be productive even after his retirement. He wrote the 11-volume ‘The Indonesian War of Independence’ that is very useful for the younger generation. I think his books should be part of the compulsory reading list for all cadets of the Military Academy (AKMIL), Indonesia Defense University (UNHAN) and all TNI Educational Institutions (Lemdik).
In my career, starting from the rank of Second Lieutenant, First Lieutenant, Captain and so on, I always maintained a good relationship with Pak Nas. He was a member of the Petition 50 dissident group who opposed the reelection of President Suharto. As a result, he was treated as a pariah or sort of persona non grata (an unwelcome person) by the New Order regime.
When I was Captain, I became President Suharto’s son-in-law. Pak Harto lived on Cendana Street, and so did my wife at the time. Therefore, if I wanted to see Pak Nas at his house at Teuku Umar Street adjacent to Cendana, I went through the backyard, pretending that I was visiting somebody else’s house.
I remained respectful to him, visiting him and his family without fearing the risk it posed to my career. That was why some seniors reprimanded me. And even some of the people around Pak Harto at the time accused me of disloyalty to Pak Harto for maintaining contact with so-called opposition groups associated with Pak Nas and others. Perhaps that was also the source of the 1998 baseless allegations that I betrayed Pak Harto and attempted a coup to overthrow him.
In response to the accusations, I would argue that General Nasution was one of the founders of the TNI. Whatever his political view was, we must remain respectful and appreciative of who he once was and the great deeds he did for this nation. That has been my attitude since I was a captain and even until today.
Even if I maintained a good relationship with Pak Nas and his family, it did not mean that his political views influenced me. After all, why should one be hostile to a senior simply because of different political views or stances?
On the other hand, I remained respectful and obedient to my superiors in the command structure, regardless of their political views. But sometimes, I also found it increasingly challenging because, other than Pak Nas, many other Petition 50 figures, such as Lieutenant General H. R. Dharsono and Lieutenant General Kemal Idris, would often visit my parents’ house as they continued to maintain good relationships.
Even when Pak Harto seemed to distance himself from Lieutenant General Sarwo Edhie Wibowo, some of my colleagues and I continued to visit him because we wanted to set an example that we must be respectful toward anyone who had contributed to the Army, the country and the nation. Visiting them does not mean that we follow or agree with their political stance but simply maintain our respect and camaraderie with those who have served the nation so bravely. We must have the courage to act as such.
Therefore, I was very moved that when Pak Nas was sick and hospitalised, I was invited to his room alongside his family. Perhaps as an old soldier, he remembered the junior who shared his values.
When he fell ill again, I was in Libya, which at that time was embargoed under Western sanctions. There was only one flight in a week. So, it was difficult for me to return to Indonesia to visit him. When I managed to fly back, he had already passed away. I had lost a great teacher, commander-in-chief and leader whose example deserves to be emulated.
MAJOR GENERAL TNI (RET.) MUNG PARAHADIMULYO
Pak Mung was famous because he always set the right example and led with conscientiousness. He always wanted to be the one who started early at every training, whether it was rock climbing, parachuting, knife throwing, shooting, or running. He was very strong physically.
From Pak Mung, I learned that a Commander-in-Chief needs to be more advanced and more skilled than his people.
Actually, I did not get to know Major General TNI (Ret.) Mung Parahadimulyo closely. But he was a very well-known Army officer in the 60s, 70s and 80s. He was Commander of the Army’s elite RPKAD Special Forces (the precursor of KOPASSUS).
He was renowned for his exemplary leadership and leading with precision. He was very strong, and he always went first at every training assignment, whether rock climbing, rappelling, parachuting, knife throwing, shooting, or running.
He once led a regiment and two battalions on a running exercise from Cijantung to Cililitan and back, covering about 16 km in total. When he ran, he always carried an assault rifle and was shirtless like his men. He was well known as a spartan officer: tough, physically strong.
He did not have a domestic helper. Therefore, before going to the office, he would sweep and mop the house to help his wife. That was why he always woke up at 4:30 am. What impressed us most was that he forbade his wife and children from using official vehicles even though he had no private vehicle. So his children had to walk to school, and his wife took a pedicab to buy groceries.
He always wore clothes that looked belel (worn). But the green shirt was his pride as a TNI service member at that time. When visiting his troops, he did not want to be served fine foods. He insists on being served the same food as a private. He also often brought his own drinking bottle. So it was very difficult to follow in the footsteps of Pak Mung.
I met Pak Mung for the first time when I was at AKABRI. It was around five in the morning. It was time to get up and do some exercise. The trumpet was already blown while we were on our way to the bathroom. Suddenly we saw someone standing in front of us. He was not very tall. He wore shorts, a white T-shirt, and a pair of sneakers.
He just looked at us and did not say a word. Once we realised who he was, we ran straight to the sports ground. At that time, he served as the Inspector General of the Army. He made an unannounced inspection to AKABRI in the early morning. From Pak Mung, I learned a lot about the importance for a Commander-in-Chief to be more advanced than his men and be more skilled than his men.
That was why on every occasion, I tried to do the same thing. I always strive to be the best, including training hard to be a better shooter than all of my men and be better in other vital skills in the military and business.
GENERAL TNI (RET.) A. M. HENDROPRIYONO
Before Nanggala 8 was withdrawn and replaced by my team Nanggala 10, Pak Hendro, who was on the Nanggala 8 team, taught me how to conduct guerilla operations.
He always taught me the importance of popular support: how to rally and gain sympathy. Then he was also the first figure to introduce me to the pro-Indonesia fighters in East Timor.
From Pak Hendro, I learned a lot about intelligence operations. That is why I put him in this book. I consider him as my mentor. In the field of intelligence, not many people can approach and convince people like Hendropriyono. He is not afraid to think and act out of the box.
The first time I got to know Pak Hendro was in Magelang. He was then First Lieutenant in KOPASSUS Group 2/Para-Commando based in Magelang; I was a cadet.
I had been impressed since I first met him. He was a charismatic young man. He was friendly, easygoing, well-built and good looking. His reputation had preceded him. We had heard a lot about him. We heard that he successfully executed an operation in West Kalimantan to extinguish the communist rebel group Paraku/PGRS. He was wounded in action while engaging the enemies.
I later met Pak Hendro in Cijantung. I was a Second Lieutenant; he was by then a captain. We were both in Group 1 while he was my mentor. I learned a lot about military tactics from Pak Hendro
In 1976, I left for East Timor as part of the Nanggala 10 team with my comrades Second Lieutenant Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, Infantry Second Lieutenant Giri, Infantry Second Lieutenant Mahidin Simbolon, Adrianus Taroreh Napitupulu, and Lieutenant CHB Juari. All of us were from the graduation year 1974. Our Commander was Infantry Major Yunus Yosfiah. At that time, Pak Hendro was a member of Nanggala 8.
During the assignment, Pak Hendro taught me how to wage guerilla warfare. He always taught me the importance of popular support: rally and earn sympathy from the people. He was also the first person to introduce me to the key figures behind pro-Indonesian fighters in East Timor.
Pak Hendro said, ‘Find influential people and people who side with us. There is no way we could operate without the support of these people.’ I was first introduced to Pak Abilio Jose Osorio Soares and then his younger brother Francisco Deodato do Rosario Osorio Soares. I was also introduced by Pak Hendro to Vidal Domingos Doutel Sarmento. These three men are staunchly pro-Indonesia.
It turned out that in East Timor, there have been groups that wanted to join Indonesia for many decades. They fought and resented Portuguese colonialism. They had long struggled to join Indonesia because they felt East Timor was also part of the Majapahit empire, one of Indonesia’s major ancient kingdoms known for its formidable naval power. They felt a kindred spirit with Indonesia. They said, ‘Why did the invaders separate us? ‘
Thanks to Pak Hendro’s introduction, the Nanggala 10 operations in East Timor went smoothly. The TNI’s objective had always been to form volunteer groups in East Timor, which we called the partisan forces. These forces were more skilled, more agile, and more intelligent in the area than TNI troops.
They could operate more effectively because they had an intimate knowledge of the terrain, the people and the culture. They knew by heart all the narrow alleyways that we call jalan tikus (rat path), and uncharted tracks are going up and down the mountain. They know all the rivers, all the springs. They knew where to step safely in the mountains. At that time, the majority of the people were hunters. They were expert trackers. They had a strong ‘sense of smell’. They were also natural shooters.
Once, I gave a weapon to a Timorese volunteer. He did not have any shoes, and he did not wear trousers. He wore a traditional sarong every day. After I gave him the weapon, tears streamed out of his eyes. He was so proud to be trusted by me.
Then I gave that man a test. I pointed to a distant tree. A few birds were flying near it. I told him, ‘Why don’t you shoot the bird!’ He picked up the gun, aimed and shot straight at them. The target was about a few hundred meters away. He never held a gun before but could shoot a bird about 200 meters away. His eyes were exceptionally sharp, and his shooting skill was amazing.
This was one of the distinctive capabilities of the partisan forces. They had strong physiques and endurance. They could walk for hours up and down the steep mountain slopes carrying heavy loads barefoot, no whining, no complaint. Indeed, it is true what is commonly said about the people of eastern Indonesia. They are ind From Pak Hendro, I learned a lot about intelligence operations. I consider him as my teacher. In Indonesia’s intelligence circle, not many people possess Pak Hendro’s ability to approach and influence people subtly. He is also very creative and bold, not afraid to think and act out of the box.eed very talented and make natural soldiers.