Budi said that when he accepted the appointment of President Joko Widodo as Minister of Health, it was time to contribute to society after having a successful career as CEO of Bank Mandiri, Inalum, and Deputy Minister of SOEs.

"Being the Minister of Health is like an investment in my afterlife. It is time for me to help many people by directly dealing with the pandemic," he revealed.

Budi also told the students that to be successful, having knowledge alone will not be enough. It is also necessary to gain wisdom from experience and interaction with many people.

Budi also proposed a transformation of the global health system so that the world community could cope with a pandemic disaster that could arise at any time in the future. "We need a global health system, like the IMF in the global economy, with mechanisms, governance and participation of countries in the world. Thus, there is a funding system to be relied upon if another pandemic happens," Budi suggested.

Finally, Budi stated that collaboration with various parties, including the private sector, startups, and building social capital in Indonesia, is necessary. "Don't underestimate the social capital in Indonesia. If our community collaborates, the result will be extraordinary," he concluded.

Meanwhile, the Director of SBM ITB Jakarta Campus, Dr. Yudo Anggoro explained the Jakarta campus's development and situation, which has begun to implement hybrid lectures to let students studying on campus with strict health protocols. The Dean of SBM ITB, Prof. Utomo Sarjono Putro, then gave a speech and explained several SBM ITB research initiatives related to the mitigation and handling of the Covid-19 pandemic in collaboration with MRT Jakarta, Trans Jakarta, Gojek, Grab, and the Ministry of Transportation. This collaboration with various institutions is in line with ITB's desire to participate in solving the nation's problems in the spirit of being "globally respected and locally relevant".

Meanwhile, the University Secretary Prof. Widjaja Martokusuma, representing the Rector of ITB Prof. Reini Wirahadikusumah, expressed his appreciation for the Indonesia pandemic handling led by the Minister of Health. The handling showed a significant decrease in cases. It also received praise at the G-20 forum. Due to the cases' decrease, ITB has been carrying out Face-to-face Lectures (PTM) since October 2021.

The Leadership Night event is an annual event held by SBM ITB Jakarta Campus as a means to listen to leaders and policy makers' view on current issues at the national level. Leadership Night events in previous years presented prominent figures such as Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, Jusuf Kalla, Dahlan Iskan, Gita Wirjawan, Anies Baswedan, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, Sri Mulyani, Boediono, Ignasius Jonan, Susi Pudjiastuti, and Nadiem Makarim.

Source: ITB SBM Release
Translator: Zahra Annisa Fitri (Urban and Regional Planning, 2019)