Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — The University of Indonesia (UI) has launched an investigation into the doctoral degree awarded to Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Bahlil Lahadalia.
The decision came after the University’s Council of Professors held a meeting on Friday, October 18, 2024, to address concerns about the validity of the degree granted to Lahadalia by the School of Strategic and Global Studies (SKSG).
Harkristuti Harkrisnowo, Chairperson of the UI Professors Council, confirmed that an investigation team has been formed in collaboration with the Academic Senate.
“We have established an investigative team with the Academic Senate,” Harkristuti said on Saturday, October 19, 2024.
She added that the team will examine the processes surrounding the awarding of the PhD to Lahadalia, with a deadline to complete their work by October 30, 2024.
The formation of the investigative team follows a meeting of the University’s Academic Senate on October 17, 2024, which called for a formal inquiry.
The minutes of the meeting, which were made public, reveal that the investigation will focus on three main areas: the eligibility of Bahlil to be admitted to the PhD program via a research track, the quality and structure of the learning process during his studies, and the review of his research output, including international journal publications.
The investigation team, named the “Supervisory Investigation Team for the Implementation of the Tri Dharma of Higher Education,” will consist of members from both the Academic Senate and the Professors Council. The team will have an odd number of members—either five, seven, or nine—to ensure clear decision-making processes. The team’s formation aligns with the recommendations of both academic bodies within UI.
As part of the investigation, an academic audit of SKSG, the UI department responsible for conferring the degree, will also be conducted. This audit will examine whether the necessary requirements for enrolling in the PhD program were met by Lahadalia, the nature of the teaching and research supervision he received, and the publication of his research results in international journals, as required for the degree.
Minister Bahlil, who also serves as the Chairman of the Golkar Party, earned his PhD from SKSG after successfully defending his dissertation on October 16, 2024. His dissertation, titled “Policy, Institutions, and Governance of Fair and Sustainable Nickel Downstreaming in Indonesia,” focused on the nation’s nickel industry, a topic closely related to his ministerial role.
Lahadalia had been enrolled in the PhD program since February 2023, having entered through the research track, which allows students to complete their degrees primarily through independent research, without the typical coursework component.
However, questions arose regarding the speed at which Lahadalia completed his degree and the transparency of the research and publication process. Concerns have been raised in both academic and political circles about whether the usual standards for doctoral programs were adhered to.
In response to these concerns, Amelita Lusia, Head of Public Relations and Public Information Transparency at UI, stated that Lahadalia had indeed been a registered student in the research-based doctoral program, similar to offerings at other universities.
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“In the SKSG doctoral program, there is a by-research option, just like in many other universities,” she explained.
The outcome of the investigation will determine whether the PhD awarded to Minister Bahlil met the rigorous academic standards expected from UI, Indonesia’s leading university. The findings are expected to be revealed by the end of October.
(Becky)
