Reaping Controversy, BRIN Cancels Renovation Of Steering Board Room Including Megawati Worth Rp 6 Billion

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JAKARTA - The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) canceled the plan to renovate the room for the Steering Committee at the 2nd floor of the BJ Habibie Building. The head of BRIN, Laksana Tri Handoko, emphasized that the plan for the rearrangement of the room would be reviewed.

This cancellation follows the controversy over the renovation of the workspace of the BRIN Steering Committee chaired by Megawati Soekarnoputri. The renovation of the 10 rooms cost more than IDR 6 billion.

"We have canceled the renovation," said Tri Handoko in his statement to reporters, Monday, July 18.

Handoko admitted that there was something missing and not known in detail, namely the renovation of the room for the Chair of the Steering Committee, namely the room for Megawati.

He stated that the renovation aims to turn the existing room into a meeting room and work space. However, the work space of the Chairman of the BRIN Steering Committee from the start was not included in the renovation plan.

“Since the beginning of the room, there was no plan to change the room of the Chairman of the BRIN Steering Committee. The renovation needs are only for representatives, secretaries, and members of the steering committee," he explained.

According to him, the rearrangement or revitalization of the function of the room still needs to be done, but it must be decided based on several considerations. One of them, changes to the current functions such as the lounge, dining room, and audio room (similar to the function of a karaoke room) on the 2nd floor into a large meeting room.

Handoko said previously that the 2nd floor of the building was used by one person, namely the Head of the Agency for the Application and Assessment of Technology (BPPT).

"From the start, the Chairman of the BRIN Steering Committee has appealed to reduce nearly 40 percent of the ex-BPPT head's workspace, which is very large, to be used as another working space for the Steering Committee," said Handoko.

Handoko said that the effectiveness of coordination and communication among the BRIN Steering Committee was the main reason for rearranging the function of the rooms on the 2nd floor. Meanwhile, some of the steering boards worked on the 23rd floor, and some did not even have a room. Another consideration, he said, is that some members of the steering committee are quite old.

"Let's say Prof. Emil Salim and Prof. Bambang Kesowo, who has been working on a very high floor. For this reason, the rooms should be used as one for the effectiveness of coordination and communication,” he said.

"In addition, rooms that were once too big, luxurious, excessive, will be changed and functioned to be much more optimal," added Handoko.

Handoko emphasized that the renovations carried out by BRIN would be cancelled. In the future, he said, the arrangement must always prioritize functionality and budget efficiency.

“The rooms on the 2nd floor will later be large and small meeting rooms, the working room of the steering committee (2 Deputy Chairmen, Secretary, 6 members of the BRIN Steering Committee). The working room of the Chair of the Steering Committee was not changed at all, as was originally planned,” he said.