M. Rizki Yusrial, Jakarta – The University of Indonesia (UI) has mandated Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia to revise his dissertation. This decision was announced during a press conference at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia, Salemba, on Friday, March 7, 2025.
This decision is based on the results of a meeting involving the 4 UI governing bodies: the Board of Trustees, Rector, Professor Council, and Academic Senate, to address allegations of ethical violations by the student of the School of Strategic and Global Studies (SKSG) on March 4, 2025.
"[We] decided to provide guidance to the supervisor, co-supervisor, director, head of study program, and also the student involved, in accordance with the level of academic and ethical violations committed, proportionally and automatically," said UI Rector Heri Hermansyah on Friday, March 7, 2025.
The UI Rector stated that the revision must be based on the improvement of quality and academic publication. He claimed that this decision was made transparently and will be issued in the form of a Decree or SK.
Meanwhile, Director of Public Relations, Media, Government, and International, Arie Afriansyah, stated that the revision will adhere to established regulations and substantive guidelines to be determined by the supervisor and co-supervisor. "The dissertation revision will be in accordance with the regulations and substantive aspects to be determined by the supervisor and co-supervisor," he said at the same event.
Previously, the ethics committee of the SKSG UI decided to revoke Bahlil's final project or dissertation, which had been declared passed on October 16, 2024.
"The UI Professor Council remains firmly committed to ethical principles and will continue to oversee this decision. The Professor Council hopes that the UI Rector will follow up on the recommended sanctions in accordance with the prevailing regulations. However, if the Rector does not follow the recommendations of the Professor Council, the Professor Council will still respect the Rector's decision," as written in a letter signed on January 10, 2025.
Chaired by Harkristuti Harkrisnowo, the committee emphasized that the ethics committee had conducted its investigation with caution and impartiality and within its authority. The investigation identified at least four violations, leading to the decision that Bahlil Lahadalia must rewrite his dissertation with a new topic that aligns with UI's academic standards.
One of the key violations involved dishonesty in data collection, as the research data was obtained without proper permission and lacked transparency in its use.
Additionally, breaches of academic standards were found, as Bahlil was accepted and graduated within an unusually short time without fulfilling the required academic criteria.
The 32-member professor committee also highlighted instances of special treatment in the academic process, including preferential guidance, abrupt changes in examiners, and an unusually smooth passing process. Moreover, conflicts of interest were identified, as both the supervisor and co-supervisor had professional ties to policies overseen by Bahlil during his tenure in public office.
"This conclusion underscores the UI Professor Council's commitment to upholding academic integrity and research ethics, affirming that academic misconduct will not be tolerated, regardless of an individual's position or social status," the statement read.