November 10, 2025 | 04:24 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - As in previous meetings, Megawati Soekarnoputri moved the gathering of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Steering Committee to her residence on Jalan Teuku Umar No. 27A, Central Jakarta, on Friday, October 24, 2025. At the end of the plenary meeting, the General Chair of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) served bowls of soto soup to her guests.
But as soon as they began eating, several participants abruptly left Megawati's home, not because of the soup, but because they were dissatisfied with what they described as her evasive answers. "We wanted a clear stance on whether she agreed or not to replace BRIN Chief Laksana Tri Handoko," said a source who attended the meeting, speaking to Tempo on Saturday, November 1.
The plenary was supposed to be a decisive moment to seek Megawati's approval as Chair of the Steering Committee. A week earlier, without her presence, the Committee had agreed to propose Handoko's dismissal. The main reason was his policies over four years, which were considered to have set back the nation's research climate.
The Steering Committee grew frustrated with Handoko's performance, arguing that BRIN had failed to align research with national development priorities. As evidence, they cited that Handoko had never once attended a cabinet meeting under President Prabowo Subianto's administration, even though BRIN operates under and reports directly to the president.
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