Jakarta – Not many people know that the newly elected president for 2024-2029, Prabowo Subianto, played a role in the establishment of SMA Taruna Nusantara, which is currently one of Indonesia’s leading high schools.
Dirgayuza Setiawan, the son of the late Dr. dr. Boyke Setiawan, who was a trusted associate of Prabowo during his lifetime, revealed a proposal for the establishment of SMA Taruna Nusantara that was drafted by Prabowo and Boyke in 1988, which is still kept in his late father’s cabinet. The proposal was submitted by Prabowo to the Minister of Defense at the time and the president.
“Because SMA Taruna Nusantara is currently a trending topic, I want to share an interesting story. Last February, Mr. Prabowo suddenly asked me to check the archives of my late father: ‘Yuza, please find my proposal to the President and the Minister of Defense to establish SMA TN. Your father kept it,'” wrote Dirgayuza in an Instagram story post on @dirgayuza’s account on Tuesday (10/9).
“After searching through my father’s cabinet, I finally found the document that was requested,” continued Dirgayuza.
In another post, Dirgayuza shared several photos of the contents of the proposal, including the initial sketch of SMA Taruna Nusantara, the table of contents, the preface, and the timeline for the construction of SMA TN from 1988-1990.
The preface of the proposal, written by Prabowo and his team, stated that the establishment of SMA Taruna Nusantara was motivated by a sense of duty and a call to contribute to the nation’s development and Indonesia’s independence.
“The idea for this writing emerged from a sense of duty to actively participate in nation-building and development. With the increasing age of our nation’s independence, the challenges we face become more difficult and complex,” as written in the preface of the proposal.
One of the steps to build the nation is through education, particularly focusing on science and technology proficiency.
The proposal mentioned that Indonesia has various riches and talented individuals, “it would be a waste if we don’t provide proper education opportunities for these exceptional talents and abilities.
The establishment of SMA Taruna Nusantara is expected to provide adequate educational facilities and infrastructure. The goal is to unleash and develop the potential of our talented individuals, ultimately for the benefit of Indonesia’s future development.
“In this era of rapid scientific and technological advancement, as an independent nation, we must not fall behind in the global scientific and technological competition. With this determination, the proposal for establishing a Science High School project was formed,” stated Prabowo and team in the preface of the proposal.
Dirgayuza also revealed in the same post that the initials PS and BS found in the proposal stand for Prabowo Subianto (PS) and Boyke Setiawan (BS).
Dirgayuza is known as the editor of several books by Prabowo. His father was a retired military officer who once served as the rector of UKRI, an educational institution established by him in 2017. Before that, Boyke was entrusted by Prabowo to manage one of his businesses in the sports and recreation sector, the Polo Club. (RR)
