Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and\nTechnology for the 2019-2024 period, Nadiem Anwar Makarim, has claimed\nthat the procurement of Chromebooks actually saved state finances by\nRp3.9 trillion. He stated that the Ministry\u2019s policy to select the\nChrome operating system, which is entirely free, significantly reduced\nbudget expenditures.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis savings figure is actually far above the estimated state losses\nalleged in the Chromebook case,\u201d Nadiem said during a hearing at the\nCorruption Court of the Central Jakarta District Court on Tuesday. He\nexplained that when the procurement team presented their\nrecommendations, it was estimated that the cost for a school package\nusing Windows operating systems would total Rp148 million per school,\nwhereas a combination of Chrome and Windows operating systems cost only\nRp98 million per school.<\/p>\n
Nadiem questioned whether, if found guilty, it would imply that the\nstate believed the Ministry should have chosen the more expensive\noption. Furthermore, he stated that the decision to select the Chrome\noperating system was not his own, as he never signed any documents\nrelated to the Chromebook procurement under the Ministry.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile I agree with the technical team\u2019s decision, which saved such a\nlarge budget, the authority rested entirely with them,\u201d he said. He\nadded that he was only linked to the policy because the team invited him\nto attend a single meeting via Zoom on 6 May 2020. He argued that the\nchanges were made without his knowledge and therefore, under\nadministrative law, did not constitute a ministerial decision. He also\nargued that there was no causality between the policy and any alleged\nstate losses, noting that the use of a free operating system could not\ncause price mark-ups; rather, it reduced them.<\/p>\n
Nadiem is one of the defendants in a corruption case involving the\neducation digitalisation programme, specifically the procurement of\nChromebook laptops and Chrome Device Management (CDM) within the\nMinistry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology between 201s\nand 2022. In this case, Nadiem is accused of corruption causing state\nlosses of Rp2.18 trillion. The allegations suggest that the procurement\nof ICT-based learning tools for the 2020, 2021, and 2022 fiscal years\ndid not comply with procurement planning and principles.<\/p>\n
The alleged actions of the founder of one of the technology companies\nwere reportedly carried out alongside three other defendants in separate\ntrials: Ibrahim Arief (alias Ibam), Mulyatsyah, and Sri Wahyuningsih, as\nwell as Jurist Tan, who is currently a fugitive. Detailed state losses\ninclude Rp1.56 trillion related to the education digitalisation\nprogramme, as well as 44.05 million US dollars (approximately Rp621.39\nbillion) due to the procurement of unnecessary and non-beneficial CDM.\nIt is noted that a significant portion of PT AKAB\u2019s funds originated\nfrom a 786.99 million US dollar investment from Google. Under the\ncharges, the former Minister faces penalties under the Law on the\nEradication of Corruption Crimes.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/nadiem-claims-chromebook-procurement-saved-state-funds-by-rp3-9-trillion-1780863873", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }