A personal spat between two four-star generals spilling into the open has raised questions about military professionalism and elite politics in Indonesia, says Mr Made Supriatma in a commentary for the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, where he is a visiting fellow in the Indonesian Studies Programme.

At a recent parliamentary hearing, MP Effendi Simbolon from the dominant Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) complained about the absence of the army chief of staff, General Dudung Abdurachman, and asked General Andika Perkasa, commander of the armed forces, why this was so.