Prabowo Summons Trenggono and Higher Education Minister to Palace
President Prabowo Subianto summoned several ministers to the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Monday (20/4), including Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Brian Yuliarto and Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Trenggono.
Observations by CNNIndonesia.com showed that the officials began arriving around 1:40 PM WIB. Brian arrived first, followed by Trenggono accompanied by his deputy, Didit Herdiawan Ashaf.
When asked about the meeting agenda, Brian did not specify details but indicated it might involve discussions on the giant sea wall project.
“I don’t know (what we’ll discuss), but perhaps about the Giant Sea Wall. I’ll see later,” he said when met before the meeting.
He also mentioned the possible involvement of higher education institutions in the programme.
“Of course, it seems the role of universities to support national strategic programmes; I’ll update you later,” Brian stated.
Meanwhile, Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Trenggono gave a brief response when asked about the meeting agenda.
“(Discussing the Red White Fishermen’s Village) perhaps,” he said.
This meeting occurs amid discussions on the Giant Sea Wall project, which is now entering the master plan preparation stage.
The project is one of the national strategic programmes directed at addressing tidal flooding issues, land subsidence, and the vulnerability of coastal areas in the North Coast of Java.
The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF) has previously completed a hydro-oceanographic survey from Jakarta Bay to Semarang waters as the basis for preparing the technical design of the sea wall.
The survey results include mapping of sea depths, analysis of currents and waves, and water quality, which will serve as the scientific foundation for building coastal protection infrastructure.
The North Java Coast Authority (NJCA) states that this project is a strategic step to reduce the risk of tidal flooding and economic losses estimated to reach hundreds of billions of US dollars.
The giant sea wall project is planned to stretch 535 kilometres across five provinces on Java Island.