BRIN Head: Megawati's Presence for Political Support
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4 January 2022 17:24 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Head of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Laksana Tri Handoko confirmed that PDIP chair Megawati Seokarnoputri was chosen as the agency’s steering committee head because of her strong political position.
“Bu Mega is strong in politics. So this is to ensure that we are supported politically,” Laksana told Tempo on Tuesday, January 4.
He explained that the agency holds an annual discussion on budget with the House of Representatives (DPR) which is a political entity. “If the House doesn’t agree, it’s done. We’ll face troubles then,” he added.
Additionally, Laksana argued that President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is a PDIP cadre. He also said that steering boards of institutions that create research policies in other countries do not generally consist of researches. In BRIN, this aims at ensuring support for the agency from all aspects.
Laksana, who was the former head of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), asserted that the public does not need to worry over the presence of politicians in the research institute, adding that researchers or professionals are placed in the executive positions such as himself and Muhammad AS Hikam.
Laksana also expressed gratitude that many people supported BRIN, including politicians. “Otherwise, it'll cause too much trouble if we’re alone. This merger has also become a trending topic this week,” he said of the merger of the Eijkman Institute into BRIN.
FRISKI RIANA