TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia`s third president Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie (BJ Habibie) stated that the Assessment and Application of Technology Agency (BPPT) should be in the current administration`s cabinet to provide input on development.

“The current condition sees BPPT is not in the Cabinet. If Bappenas is for the macro scale, then the micro should be filled with BPPT,” said Habibie, who is also the founder of BPPT, at the 40th BPPT anniversary in Jakarta yesterday, August 23.

Habibie argued that to further develop BPPT, information on development that BPPT receives must reflect the needs of the people and must be included in the state Cabinet.

Habibie said that it is difficult for the BPPT to detect an issue if the agency is not joined in the Cabinet. “How would the BPPT know the issue at hand if it does not directly listens [to the Indonesian public] and is not part of the State Cabinet,” he said.

BJ Habibie was also backed by former BPPT Head that once took the position of Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs Hatta Rajasa, who said that throughout 40 years, the BPPT had always held an important role in the micro scale.

AMRI MAHBUB