Hundreds of civil servants gathered outside Indonesia's Higher Education Ministry office in Central Jakarta, voicing concerns over what they termed as unjust employee rotations and dismissals. The demonstration, marked by banners reading "We are civil servants, paid by the state, working for the state, not slaves of the family," and "State institutions are not Satryo and his wife's private companies," highlighted growing dissent against Minister Satryo Soemantri Brodjonegoro. The protest was fueled by allegations of abuse and unfair dismissals within the ministry.
Minister Brodjonegoro firmly denied these allegations, attributing the rotation of employees to misunderstandings regarding responsibilities. Specifically, he pointed to an incident involving Suwitno, where duties beyond his scope led to a rotation process. Neni Herlina, a Junior Expert and Acting Household Officer, claimed her dismissal was abrupt. She recounted that Minister Brodjonegoro allegedly entered her office unannounced, demanding her departure.
“Get out to Dikdasmen (Primary and Secondary Education Ministry) and bring all your belongings,” – Neni Herlina
Minister Brodjonegoro, however, insisted that Neni's situation was a part of an organizational rotation rather than a termination. Suwitno supported this claim by noting that Neni was indeed rotated and not fired, emphasizing a misunderstanding in her task execution.
“Neni’s job is to meet the needs of the ministry’s household but there may have been a misunderstanding in carrying out the task” – Suwitno
Further complicating the issue is a voice recording circulating online, purportedly capturing Brodjonegoro scolding and slapping a vendor associated with the ministry. This fueled the protestors' grievances, with one banner pleading for presidential intervention.
“Mr President, please save us from an angry minister who likes to slap and fire employees”
The minister's secretary-general, Togar, denied any involvement of Brodjonegoro's wife, Silvia Ratnawati, in Neni's rotation process. He defended the necessity of such rotations for the ministry's expansion and restructuring efforts.
“We told them our objective, which is to fulfil President Prabowo Subianto’s request and I explained that such a rotation process is inevitable for any organisation” – Satryo Soemantri Brodjonegoro
In response to the unrest, a reconciliatory meeting took place at Minister Brodjonegoro's residence on Monday evening. The meeting aimed to address the concerns raised by affected employees and to seek a resolution that balanced fairness with organizational needs.
“We will learn to be fair, we have discussed this and we will find a middle ground” – Satryo Soemantri Brodjonegoro
The protests occur against the backdrop of significant changes within Indonesia's education sector. President Prabowo Subianto recently divided the Education and Cultural Affairs Ministry into three separate entities, including the Higher Education, Science and Technology Ministry. This restructuring is part of a broader initiative to enhance budget efficiency.
“We are making significant changes as the ministry is now divided into three parts and the restructuring is in line with the president’s call to be more efficient with the budget” – Satryo Soemantri Brodjonegoro
Despite assurances from ministry officials that rotations are necessary and procedural, Neni remains uncertain about her status. She conveyed to Tempo that no clear procedure had been followed regarding her dismissal or rotation, leaving her in limbo without formal clarity from the ministry.
“We are civil servants, paid by the state, working for the state, not slaves of the family”
“State institutions are not Satryo and his wife’s private companies”
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