Jakarta. Satryo Soemantri Brodjonegoro was dismissed from his position as Higher Education, Science, and Technology Minister on Wednesday, but he claimed that he had submitted his resignation letter to the president earlier in the day.

His statement came shortly after President Prabowo Subianto inaugurated nanoscience professor Brian Yuliarto as his successor.

"I just returned from the State Secretariat after submitting my resignation letter. I have worked hard over the past four months, but perhaps I did not meet the government's expectations. So, I decided to resign rather than be dismissed," Satryo told reporters in Jakarta.

He said he wrote his resignation letter around midnight on Tuesday and personally delivered it to the State Secretariat the following day to be forwarded to the president.

“I believe I have done my best and worked sincerely. If that wasn’t enough, then I chose to resign,” he said.

Satryo had been under pressure to step down since last month, following allegations that he had dismissed key staff members without notice and exhibited a bad temper in handling internal affairs.

Meanwhile, Brian Yuliarto, the newly appointed higher education minister, said he was offered the position by President Prabowo via a phone call on Wednesday morning before taking the oath of office in the afternoon.

"I received the call while I was in Bandung around 9 a.m.," Brian said after the inauguration ceremony at the State Palace. "I was instructed to consolidate the ministry and ensure alignment with the president's programs.

Add as a preferred source on Google +