Four months into his presidency, Prabowo Subianto replaced Higher Education, Science and Technology Minister Satryo Soemantri Brodjonegoro on Wednesday, in the former Army general’s first cabinet reshuffle.

Prabowo replaced Satryo with Brian Yuliarto, an academic who is serving as a deputy rector at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) in West Java. The new minister was inaugurated at the State Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday afternoon.

Satryo was recently in hot water around the alleged abrupt dismissal of a civil servant in the higher education ministry that triggered a protest by hundreds of the ministry’s employees. 

Neni Herlina, who had worked for 24 years at the ministry, previously claimed that she was suddenly removed from her job allegedly at the instruction of Satryo’s wife. The termination has since been reversed following the protest.

The minister also faced accusations of assaulting his staff on multiple occasions, although Satryo denied any wrongdoing.

Satryo was recently criticized for postponing the enactment of a regulation mandating incentive pay for lecturers. The minister announced in December of last year that his ministry would evaluate the regulation signed by his predecessor Nadiem Makarim, citing the need to review the regulation as recommended by several parties in the higher education sector.

The evaluation potentially postponed the disbursement of lecturers’ allowances.

In addition to the new higher education minister, Prabowo inaugurated Muhammad Yusuf Ateh and Agustina Arumsari as the new head and deputy head of the Development Finance Comptroller (BPKP); Amelia Adininggar Widyasanti and Sonny Harry Budiutomo Harmadi as the head and deputy head of Statistics Indonesia (BPS) and Lt. Gen. (ret) Nugroho Sulistyo Budi as the new head of the National Cyber and Encryption Agency (BSSN). (kuk)