Holiday Ayo - 

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), Bahlil Lahadalia, has responded to the request from Universitas Indonesia (UI) for him to issue an apology regarding the controversy surrounding his doctoral dissertation.

Bahlil emphasized that he would respect any decision made by UI.

"I have not received any formal notification yet. What I do know is that I respect whatever decision UI makes. As a student, I will first review and assess what actions need to be taken," Bahlil stated at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Friday (March 7, 2025).

He further clarified that he was aware from the beginning that his dissertation required revisions before being deemed complete.

"From what I have also gathered from the media, the requirement is to make revisions. Since my public defense, it was never declared immediately complete because revisions were necessary, and I am still in the process of making those revisions," he explained.

Previously, UI had requested that Bahlil issue an apology to the academic community in response to the controversy surrounding his dissertation at the Doctoral Program of the School of Strategic and Global Studies (SKSG) at UI.

UI Rector, Heri Hermansyah, stated that the decision was made collectively by four UI governing bodies: the Board of Professors, the Academic Senate, and the Academic Quality Assurance Board.

As part of this decision, UI will provide guidance to several involved parties, including the dissertation supervisor, co-supervisor, director, head of the study program, and the student in question—Bahlil Lahadalia.

"In a closed meeting of UI’s four governing bodies, it was decided to implement corrective measures. These include guidance for the supervisor, co-supervisor, director, head of the study program, and the student involved, proportionate to the level of academic and ethical violations committed. The measures will be objective, considering academic wisdom, institutional improvement efforts, and maintaining academic integrity. These actions include a temporary delay in promotions, an apology to the UI academic community, and an enhancement of the dissertation’s quality along with its academic publication," he concluded.