Syamsir was a key figure on Susilo's campaign team for Sumatra, but this was not the cause of the surprise; it was Susilo's choosing him over BIN deputy chief M. As'ad or Lt. Gen. (ret) Sudi Silalahi.

Sudi, another close confidante of Susilo and who was much talked about as the next BIN chief, was named Cabinet Secretary.

The choice was also surprising because Susilo decided to give one of the toughest and most vital positions in the country to a retired, two-star general who has not been active in the military or government for quite some time.

Syamsir's last active post was chief of the Intelligence Agency (BIA) of the Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI) -- renamed the Indonesian Military (TNI) in April 1999. He retired on Sept. 10, 1996, and held no military or state posts until Susilo installed him on Dec. 8 as the new BIN chief.

Shunning the limelight in retirement, he made a few public appearances as a member of the National Front (Barnas), a group of retired ABRI/TNI officers and former leaders of student movements. Barnas contributed to the reform drive of the late 1990s until Soeharto stepped down on May 20, 1998.

What are Susilo's reasons for bringing Syamsir out of retirement and into the military/intelligence fore -- aside from possible recognition for Syamsir's contributions to his campaign?

One crucial reason may be his seniority in the military/intelligence circles, an asset to obtaining accurate intelligence so decisions can be made critical state matters.

Further, Syamsir's seniority would leave him free to perform his tasks as BIN chief, as he would have no structural or psychological barriers within the military hierarchy. Instead, he would command the respect of other intelligence organizations and senior TNI officers.

Syamsir is a 1965 graduate of the National Military Academy (AMN), and is thus a senior classmate of Susilo, a 1973 AMN graduate. He is also a senior classmate of incumbent TNI chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, a 1971 graduate, the three chiefs of staff, and also Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Adm. (ret) Widodo AS, a 1968 AMN graduate.

The Class of 1965 is renowned in the Academy's history for producing outstanding Army officers. Syamsir's graduating class includes Lt. Gen. (ret) M. Yunus Yosfiah, former ABRI chief of sociopolitical affairs, and Lt. Gen. (ret) Soeyono, former ABRI chief of general affairs. Yunus, for one, made a name for himself early on in his military career when he killed a key East Timorese separatist leader.

Another factor that would have spoken in favor of Syamsir would be his broad experience in the intelligence community, as he spent about half of his military career in intelligence.

Meanwhile, Syamsir's direct ties to the President will give him legitimate power and access to the country's intelligence circle, even though BIN has yet to reclaim its role as coordinator of all intelligence institutions -- as it did when it was known as the State Intelligence Coordinating Agency (BAKIN).

Other than BIN and the BIA, other intelligence units exist under the National Police -- the Police Intelligence and Security Directorate (Ditintelpam) -- and the Attorney General's Office -- the Junior Attorney General for Intelligence Affairs.

Along with these technical points, another minor but decisive factor would be that Susilo and Syamsir served under the same military unit, the elite Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad). The Army's other elite unit is the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus).

Syamsir will thus be supported by key Kostrad alumni TNI chief Gen. Endriartono and Army chief Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu. Furthermore, Ryamizard is of the same graduating class as Susilo.

Susilo's choice is also not unrelated to his favoring "colleagues from the military" to head BIN, although some House of Representatives legislators preferred a civilian intelligence chief.

The general public thus expects that Syamsir's seniority and experience in intelligence affairs will contribute significantly to the government's anti-terror campaign and to security and order in the country. It is also hoped that the new BIN chief would contribute indirectly to the return of foreign investment, which is much needed to jump-start business development programs that stalled during the Asian economic crisis.