West Bandung. President Prabowo Subianto on Sunday conferred the honorary rank of four-star general upon five retired senior military officers, including the late Ali Sadikin, a reform-minded naval commander who became one of Jakarta’s most influential governors.

Ali’s military career peaked as commander of the Navy’s elite Marine Corps, with the final rank of lieutenant general. Under President Sukarno, he served as minister for transportation and maritime affairs before leading the capital as governor from 1966 to 1977 during the Soeharto era. He passed away on May 20, 2008, at the age of 80.

The honorary rank was also bestowed on Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and State Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief M. Herindra.

Two other recipients were:

• Yunus Yosfiah, a retired lieutenant general who served as information minister under President Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie and later became active in Gerindra, the political party founded by Prabowo.
• Agus Sutomo, a former commander of the Presidential Security Detail (Paspampres) and the Army’s Special Forces (Kopassus), who now serves as president director of state-owned palm oil company Agrinas Palma Nusantara.

The ceremony, held at the Army’s special forces training grounds in Batujajar, West Bandung, was attended by cabinet ministers, top police officials, and the military’s highest-ranking officers. Residents, many of whom had gathered since 6 a.m., greeted Prabowo with enthusiastic cheers upon his arrival.