Dr. Aryo Hanggono, DEA, a brilliant civil servant for almost 30 years of service in the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) and the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP), passed away early morning on September 28, 2020 in Jakarta. He returned to the Creator, Allah SWT, at the age of 55 after a two weeks battle against Covid-19. He is survived by his wife, Rina Thariana his children, Dito Aria Rahman, Dania Arsella Rahman and Devina Audria Rahman.
Dr. Aryo Hanggono, later called Pak Aryo, was born in Bogor on July 23, 1965. He grew up in Bandung where he completed his formal educations at the best institutions in the city. He attended his primary and secondary schools at SD Negeri Merdeka 5, SMP Negeri 5, and SMA Negeri 3. He then pursued his undergraduate education at Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), majoring in Regional and Urban Planning, between 1983 - 1989. He later obtained his Master and Doctorate degrees from the Universite de Paris X - Nanterre, France, between 1993 - 1998.
Pak Aryo started his civil servant career at the BPPT in 1990. Since the inception of the KKP in 2000, he moved from the agency and served as a top figure at various divisions within the ministry under different administrations from President Abdurrahman Wahid’s era to President Joko Widodo’s leadership. Among the top positions he led, he served as the director of Center of Marine Research and Technology, secretary to the Agency for Marine and Fisheries Research & Development, expert staff for the minister Susi Pudjiastuti, and his last position was the general director of Directorate General of Marine Spatial Management under the minister Edhy Prabowo.
The inception of KKP has led significant progress in the fisheries and marine sectors in Indonesia, in which Pak Aryo noticeably left his mark. With the guidance of Dr. Dwisuryo Indroyono Soesilo, Pak Aryo and his fellows developed the Southeast Asia Center for Ocean Research and Monitoring (SEACORM) as the collaborative regional initiatives that focus on marine observation in the Indonesian seas and the broader region, serving the need to understand oceanic processes relevant to ocean primary productivity and regional climate. The implementation of SEACORM was initiated by the establishment of the Institute for Marine Research and Observation (IMRO) in Perancak-Bali, which was built through tremendous supports of Pak Aryo. He promoted strong international collaborations which include the set up of the Infrastructure Development of Space Oceanography in Indonesia (INDESO) program with France, the expansion of the moored buoy arrays program in the Indian Ocean with NOAA-USA, and the continuation of a collaborative research program with Columbia University-USA to monitor the Indonesia Throughflow.
The establishment of IMRO is a cornerstone of Pak Aryo’s long and splendid career. He envisioned IMRO as a leading marine institution providing guidance for Indonesian fishermen in locating potential fishing grounds as well as serving information to other stakeholders on the role of the Indonesian seas in regulating the regional climate. To achieve his vision, he and his colleagues collaborated with Collecte Localisation Satellites (CLS)-France in setting up a satellite receiver system at IMRO, a high technology system collecting valuable information for fishermen as well as law enforcement in minimizing illegal fishing activities.
Achieving the objectives set by KKP requires highly skilled human resources. Cognizant with the need, Pak Aryo persuaded talented Indonesian graduates to join KKP and strongly encouraged them to pursue higher educations. He was very supportive of all collaborative programs that facilitate KKP employees to obtain Master's or and Doctorate degrees.
Pak Aryo was an effective negotiator with a strong vision, respected by his fellow countrymen and international peers. Among his junior peers, he was very well known as a caring chief and great mentor who prioritized friendly human relationships over the rigid bureaucratic structure. His laughter was contagious, making people surrounding him relax and work effectively.
He was a problem solver and always tried to make someone’s life easier. Navigating layers of bureaucracy is a challenge for a civil servant. Pak Aryo excelled at this as he always found ways to complete his and other's responsibilities without disregarding the rules. This may be coherent with his hobby in playing piano with a band, in which he tuned and synchronized with the other band members to perform a song, no matter how great or less talented the singer was.
So long Pak Aryo, the founding father of IMRO, goodbye to the loyal and brilliant civil servant. You will forever be remembered for your loyalty to build a better Indonesia.
