President Megawati Soekarnoputri

 Megawati Soekarnoputri was born on the 23^rd January, 1947 as child of the former president Soekarno and Fatmawati. She is married with Taufik Kiemas and has 3 children.

She attended the Faculty of Agriculture at Pajajaran University in Bandung from 1965 until 1967 and the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta from 1970 until 1972. In 2001 she was granted a Doctor honoris causae (HC) in Law at the Wasseda University, Japan.

For a long time she had been the Chairperson of the Central Jakarta Chapter of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI). From 1987 until 1997 she was a Member of the House of Representatives and from 1993 until 1998 she was the Chairperson of the PDI.

Since 1998 she has been the Chairperson of the PDI – Perjuangan (Indonesian Democratic Party for Struggle). Under President Wahid (1999 until 2001) Megawati was the Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia.

Since the 23^rd July, 2001 she has been the President of the Republic of Indonesia.

Hamzah Haz
Vice President

The Vice President is born on the 15^th of February in 1940. He is married to Hj. Asmaniah and Hj. Titin Kartini and has about 12 children. He attained the Faculty of Economics of the Tanjung Pura University in Pontianak in the Western part of Kalimantan. After that Hamzah worked as a journalist for local newspaper as well as a teacher in the Senior High School of Ketapang. Different stations as writer and teacher followed, while he also started his political career as Member of the Regional House of Representatives for West Kalimantan and in other various organizations like Nahdlatul Ulama in the sixties.

From 1971 until 1997 he was a Member of the House of Representatives and People’s Consultative Congress of the Republic of Indonesia. During this time he had the post of the Minister for Investment and Chairman of the Investment Coordinating Board.

Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs

Born in Rangkasbitung, West Java, on 25 November 1939. He graduated from the Economic Faculty at the University of Indonesia in the year of 1964. Then he started to study abroad at the University of California, Berkeley, where he received a master’s degree in public administration in 1966 and a doctorate in political science in 1980. For many years the respected economist taught economics at the state-run University of Indonesia’s School of Economy in which he served as dean also. During his academic career he married his wife Emiwaty with whom he has three children.

His last position, before he has been appointed Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, was extraordinary and plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia in the United States of America since 1998.
As a skilful diplomat and economist Dorodjatun will help to win the confidence of foreign investors again, after the economic problems of the last years. As an US-educated economist professor he is known to be market friendly, which includes his favour of a larger role for the private economic sector. Furthermore there is hope, that he’ll be able to solve budget and debt problems with the help of the IMF. He is considered to be one of the credible members of Megawati’s cabinet, because he’s free from any kind of political interests.

Yusuf Kalla
Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfares

Yusuf Kalla was born on the 15^th of May, 1942 in Watampone, South Sulawesi. He is married and has five children.

He enjoyed an S1-education at the economic faculty at Hasanuddin University in Makasar, South Sulawesi from 1961 to 1967. Furthermore he holds a degree from the European Institute of Business Administration in Fontainebleau, France, from 1977.

In 1998 he was a member of the People’s Consultative Assembly of the Republic of Indonesia (among the group of the Regional Reptresentatives)  and was appointed Minister of Trade and Industry in the Cabinet of Wahid in 1999. However, in 2000 he was dismissed from this position.

He is very popular in his home province of South Sulawesi and is considered one of the most successful and respected businessmen from eastern Indonesia. Among having other positions, he has been Comissioner of PT Bukaka Singtel Intern Jakarta since 1995 and Comissioner of PT Bukaka Teknik Utama Jakarta since 1988.

Furthermore he has been the head of the Foundation of Islam Center Al – Markaz in Makassar since 1994 and in 2001 he was a member of the Advisory Board of Central Golkar.

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was born on the 9^th September, 1949 in Pacitan in East Jawa. He is married and has 2 children, one of whom is a middle rank military officer. 

He was educated at the Military Acadamy, Akabri, where he graduated in 1973. Furthermore, he graduated with a Master-Degree in Management from the Webster University in Missouri, US, and attended an US-Army Command and General Staff College in 1991.

In 1995 he acted as the chief of the military observers in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was the Armed Forces Chief of Territorial Affaires (1998 – 1999) and was charged with drafting a reform program for the Armed Forces after Suharto’s fall in 1998.

In 1999 for the first time he became Member of the House of Representatives, Fraksi Utusan Golongan, and was appointed Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources under Wahid. In 2000 he became the Coordinating Minister for Political, Social and Security Affaires, but he lost that position in 2001 because of his opposition to Wahid’s threat to impose a state of emergency.

He was the youngest officer from his class to assume General. Upon his retirement he was granted the rank of an honorary general. The four-star general was considered one of the brightest military officers within the Indonesian Military and was earlier seen as being in the “pole position” to become Panglima TNI, the Supreme Commander of the Indonesian Armed Forces, had he remained on active service.

He also was in the race for the vice-presidential post.

He declared three issues, on which he wants to focus: first, the communal conflicts, e.g. in Ambon. Second, drugs and third, destructive actions. According to him, law enforcement and security concerns are also most important things.

Bungaran Saragih
Minister of Agriculture

While born in Pemateng Siantar, Northern Sumatra, on 17 April 1945, he is married to Mihoko Nakamura. He holds a degree in Agricultural Social Economic, which he received at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) in 1971. Later he started studying abroad at the North Carolina State University in Raleigh, USA. There he received a degree in Economic and Statistic in 1977 and a doctorate in Economy and Sociology in 1980.

After working as a docent for Social Economy and for the postgraduate programme at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB), Bungaran was called to be Minister of Agriculture in 2000 as a well qualified academic of agricultural economics. So also was retained by Megawati.

I Gde Ardika

State Minister for Culture and Tourism

 

I Gde Ardika was born on the 15^th February, 1945 in Buleleng, Bali. He is married and has 2 children.

After graduation from the Arts School of the Institute of Technology in Bandung in 1964, he got a scholarship for the Akademi Perhotelan Nasional in Bandung, from where he graduated in 1967. In 1972 he graduated from the International Institute of Hotel Management in Glion, Switzerland.

From 1993 until 1996 he was the chief of the Ministry of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications’ training center. After that he was the Secretary to the Ministry’s Director General of Tourism for two years. Under Habibie he was the Director General of Tourism and the ministry’s deputy for tourism product development.

His last position then was the State Minister for Culture and Tourism from 2000 until 2001 under Wahid.

Matori Abdul Jalil

Minister of Defense

 

Matori Abdul Jalil was born on the 11^th of July, 1942 in Salatiga, Middle Jawa.

He was attending the Faculty of Economy at the Satya Wacana Christian University in Salatiga for 3 years until 1968.

Prior to the establishment of the PKB (=National Awakening Party) in 1998, Matori Abdul Jalil was a member of the United Development Party, where he served as secretary – general from 1989 – 1994. After the establishment of PKB, the party of former President Wahid, Jalil became a member and the chairman of this party. Despite of that he defied his own parties orders to boycott the top assembly’s impeachment session, which dismissed Wahid and appointed Megawati President. Subsequently, he was dismissed from his party.

Nevertheless he stayed at the Nahdlatul Ulama, a 40 million strong Muslim organization, where he has been a very active member since childhood and which was headed by Wahid before he became President in 1999.

Jalil’s last position was that of the Depuy Chairman of the MPR of RI since 1999, where he was member of the Fraksi Kebangkitan Bangsa.

He is a civilian, that is considered an astute politician, who knows how to survive.

Purnomo Yusgiantoro

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources

 

 

Purnomo Yusgiantoro was born on the 16^th June 1951 in Semarang, Middle Jawa. He is married and has 3 children.

Purnomo Yusgiantoro has a good educational profile for his ministerial position: he graduated from the School of Oil of the Bandung Institute of Technology in 1974. In 1986 he gained his Master of Science from the School of Mining, University of Colorado and finally got his PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) in Economy of Natural Resources also from the University of Colorado, USA, in 1988.

He has also got much working experience in this area: after his studies in the USA he served as an expert staff member with the Basic Earth Science System in Colorado. Returning to Indonesia he worked as a consultant for the World Bank (1990 – 1992) and for the Asian Development Bank (1990). He is the founder of the Institute for Energy Economics and represented Indonesia in dealings with the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC. He also served as an expert staff member in the Ministry of Energy and Mining and in cooperation with that he led a study on national energy pricing policy. Before becoming Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources under Wahid from 2000 until 2001, he was the deputy head of the military’s think–tank Lemhanas, the National Resilience Institute (from 1998).

Boediono

Minister of Finance

Boediono was born on the 25^th February, 1943 in Blitar, East Jawa. He is married and has two children.

Boediono has a western education:  he has a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Western Australia (1967) and a Master of Economics from the Monash University of Melbourne, Australia (1972). He gained his Doctorate Degree of Business Economy of the Wharton School University of Pennsylvania in 1979.

Not only does Boediono have a strong banking background, but he also dedicated a big part of his life to his academic career.

Previously, Professor Boediono was a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Economy at the prestigious Gajah Mada University in Yogyakarta. He was a prolific writer, who was regularly published in the local and foreign media. Among others, he published textbooks on economic theory, monetary policy and operations research. His applied research experiences are in handicraft export development, labour absorption in the industrial sector and industrial estates in Cilacap and Yogyakarta.

Because of his academic and not only political career Boediono is considered a technocrat, who is known for his clean reputation and his lack of political connections. 

But Boediono is also experienced in banking and politics.

Besides working previously at the Central Bureau of Census and Statistics in Australia and at the Bank of America in Jakarta, he was the Director of the International Bank for Restructuring and Development (IBRD; or simply called the World Bank) and the Islamic Development Bank from 1993 until 1998.

In 1997 / 98 he was the deputy governor of the Central Bank, i.e. the Bank Indonesia. In this position he was in charge of fiscal monetary policy and was held partly responsible for the multi – million dollar scandal over liquidity credits to banks suffering from financial difficulties following the financial crisis of 1997; however, he was not accused of personal wrongdoing.

From May 1998 until October 1999 he was the Chairman of the National Planning and Development Board (Bappenas) under President Habibie. In this position, which was equal to that of a Minister, he played a central role in the intense negotiations undertaken with the IMF and the World Bank at the height of the Asian financial crisis.

As his first priority as the Minister of Finance he considers the completion of the Letter of Intent from the Government of Indonesia to the IMF. 

Rochmin Dahuri
Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Affairs

He was born in Cirebon, West Java, on the 16^th of November in 1958. Following his interests he went to the School of Fisheries of the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB), where he graduated in 1981. He also joined the Management of Environment and Natural Resources Programme at the IPB in 1986. Furthermore Rochimin also went abroad and got a doctorate in Ecology and Management of Sea and Seashore Resources at the School for Resources and Environmental Studies of  the Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada. He is also belongs to the board of editors of Coastal Management in Tropical Asia Newsletter, which is published by the Coastal Resource Centre of the University of Rhode Island, in the USA. He is also a member of the Ministry of the Environment's coastal development team.

Picked up by former president Wahid under whom he served as Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Affairs as well, the former member of the Ministry of Environment’s coastal development team has been appointed by Megawati again with the intention that he will be able to continue the programmes he has already started. As an expert on maritime affairs he seems to fill out this position very well. 

Hassan Wirayuda
Minister of Foreign Affairs

 

Hassan Wirayuda was born on the 9^th of July, 1948 in Tangerang, Banten, in West Jawa. He is married and has five children.

He was educated in several places: first he was studying at the faculty of law at the University of Indonesia until 1971. Then, in 1976, he got a Certificate in Diplomacy from the Oxford University Foreign Service Programme in Oxford, UK. 1984 he graduated from the Tufts University, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Medfort, Massachusetts, with a Mater of Arts in Law and Diplomacy. The following year, 1985, he made his Master of Law in the Harvard School of Law in Cambridge, Massachusetts. And in 1987 he gained his Doctorate Degree of Juridical Science (JSD) in International Law at the Virginia School of Law in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The whole career of this professional diplomat was within the Foreign Ministry. He led Indonesia’s mission to the UN and other international organizations in Geneva, Switzerland. In 1997 / 98 he was Indonesia’s ambassador in Cairo, Egypt. Not only was he involved in the Cambodian peace process and negotiations between Manila and the Moro National Liberation Front, but he also represented the Government of Indonesia in the dialogue on Aceh with Free Aceh Movement representatives in Geneva, Switzerland, from January 2000 until August 2001.

The last position he held was the Directorate General for Political Affaires in the Ministry of Foreign Affaires from 2000 until 2001.

Because of his high level of discernment he is expected to be a popular choice even among Indonesian diplomats, who might have hoped for the appointment themselves.

Mohammad Prakosa
Minister of Forestry

Mohammad Prakosa was born on the 4^th March 1960 in Yogyakarta, Middle Jawa. He is married and has three children.

He enjoyed a good education for his job: in 1982 he graduated from the Faculty of Forestry of Gajah Mada University in Yogyakarta. In 1989 he made his Master of Science in Forest Economics at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, USA. After that he gained his Doctor of Philosophy in Resource Economics and Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1994.

In 1999 / 2000 he was the Minister of Agriculture under Wahid. Previously, he was the deputy representative of the Indonesian Food and Agriculture Organization.

As he is a member of Megawati’s Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, he is considered a political appointee.

Ahmad Sujudi
Minister of Health

Born on the 11^th of April in 1941 in Bondowoso, a small town in the Eastern part of Java, Ahmad began his studies on the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Indonesia where he graduated in 1972. After a Surgery Course at the University of Indonesia in 1980 he joined the Program School of Health Services Management at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.

Before he had been appointed Minister of Health for the first time in 1999, Ahmad worked as director-general on the prevention of contagious diseases at the Ministry of Health. Although he already served in Wahid’s Cabinet, he seems to be free from political patronage and controversy. So he has been appointed by Megawati again and is able to carry on with politics.

Hari Sabarno, Lieutenant General TNI (retired)
Minister of Home Affairs

Hari was born in Solo, 12 August 1944. He is married to Dewi Margawati and father of two children. After graduating at the National Military Academy in 1967 he started his career in the army. Meanwhile he attended the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences in 1994 and holds and MBA and MM title for Business Management. His last position in the military was Assistant to the Head of Staff for Social Politics of the Indonesian Military Command, before he became a member of the House of Representatives in 1995, covering the defence, security and foreign affairs section. Before his appointment, he served as a deputy speaker in the Indonesian Parliament, representing the military/police faction.

Until his retirement as a Lieutenant General, he has been the last active military minister in Megawati’s cabinet. Hari is famous for his open criticism on former President Wahid about his erratic rule on which Wahid’s political ousting followed, supported by the military/police faction. Although appointed in a “non-key post” he knows to cover the political landscape with his eloquence.

Yusril Ihza Mahendra
Minister of Justice and Human Rights Affairs

Born in Belitung, placed in Sumatra Selatan, on 5 February 1956 he soon started his academic career by completing his degrees in law and Islamic science at the University of Indonesia, then he studied social science at Punjab University, India and finished with a doctorate degree in law at Universiti Sains Penang, Malaysia in 1993. Meanwhile he married his wife Sukaesih, and has four children.

While a respected professor of law and working under Soeharto’s presidency, speech writing at the State Secretariate, he is also a founder and chairman of the small Islamic based Crescent Star party, which was formed to take over the banner of the Masyumi Party after the fall of the New Order. The survival of the party depends more or less on Yusril as a person.
For Yusril it is his second try as Minister for Justice and Human Rights Affairs, he already held this post under Wahid’s presidency, but was sacked for his open criticism on Wahid’s policy. So he has been Megawati’s first choice. He is expected to have much experience to offer, which is of advantage, because in his department there is still a lot of work to do. 

Yacob Nuwa Wea
Minister of Manpower and Transmigration

 

Yacob Nuwa Wea was born on the 14^th April, 1944 in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara. He is married.

He was educated at the Akademi Ilmu Perburuhan in Jakarta until 1978

Albeit Yacob Nuwa Wea also served as an executive in several companies during the 80s and 90s, he is better known as a long time workers’ rights activist.

He began his activism in the late 60s as a branch chairman of the Marhaenis Labour Movement. It then was his own experience as a laborer at PT Indomilk in the early 70s, that prompted his sense of the commitment to fight for workers’ rights. He stood behind Muchtar Pakpahan during the 80s in the Indonesian Prosperity Trade Union, which at that time was hounded by the New Order Regime.

Currently he heads the All-Indonesian Workers’ Union Federation.

Since 1999 he has been Member of the House of Representatives in the Fraction of

PDI-P.

Abdul Malik Fajar
Minister of National Education

Abdul Malik Fajar was born on the 22^nd February, 1939 in Yogyakarta, Middle Jawa. He is married and has 5 children.

First, he was educated at the Institut Agama Islam Negeri (IAIN) Sunan Ampel Malang until 1972. Then he enjoyed further education at the University of Florida in the early 80s.

He has always been interlocked with the Muhammadiyah Muslim organization. That is also shown by the fact, that, with most of his career being in the academic field, he was rector of the Muhammadiyah University in Malang and Surakarta.

Before becoming Minister of National Education, he was Minister of Religious Affaires under both, Suharto as well as Habibie. Prior to that, he was director – general for Islamic institutions at this ministry.

H. Said Agil Husin Al Munawar
Minister of Religious Affairs

Said’s place of birth is Palembang in Sumatra, it took place on 26 January 1954. Having six children, he is married to Dra. Hj. Fatimah Abu Abdullah Assegaf. For postgraduate studies he joined the Faculty of Syariah at the Ummu Al’Quran University in Mecca, Saudi Arabia in 1979. He finished his Islamic studies in Saudi Arabia with receiving a doctorate degree in 1987. Since 1989 he has been primarly working as docent at the State Institute of Islamic Religion (IAIN) Syarif Hidayatullah in Jakarta. During the last years he served as Director of the postgraduate programme at the IAIN.

Furthermore he has served in the lawmaking body of the Indonesian Ulemas Council which is responsible for legislation concerning observance of Islam.While engaged in different Islamic organizations, Said is widely known as a preacher from Nahdlatul Ulama, so like Wahid he’s a cleric and a non-political appointee to his current position.

 

Soenarno
Minister for Resettlement and Regional Infrastructure

Soenarno was born on the 19^th May, 1942 in Purwodadi, Middle Jawa. He has 4 children.

Soenarno graduated from the Faculty of Engineering of Gajah Mada University, Yogyakarta in 1967. He gained his PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) in 1985 in the USA and graduated from the Faculty of Economy of IKIP Malang in 1989.

Only very little is known about Soenarno. He spent most of his working life in the public works sector. His last position was the Directorate General of Water Resources at the Department of Resettlement and Regional Infrastructure.

Bachtiar Chamsjah
Minister of Social Affairs

Bachtiar is born in Sigli, Aceh, on the 31 December 1945. He is married to Rosidah MS and has three children. He is a graduate of the Faculty of Economics at the University Medan Area.

Since he joined the KAMI in 1966, further positions in different organizations followed. As a member of the United Development Party, under the leadership of Hamzah Haz, he became also a member of the House of Representatives where he served as Deputy Secretary General for the PPP faction, before he has been appointed as Minister of Social Affairs by Megawati.

Rini Mariani Soewandi
Minister of Trade and Industry

Rini was actually born in the USA, in Maryland, on 9 Juni 1958. Before she went to Indonesia she attended the Faculty of Economy at the Wellesly College in Massachusetts, where she graduated with a degree in Economics in 1981. After a year of internship at the Finance Department of the United States she returned to Indonesia and started working at the Citibank in Jakarta in 1982. Meanwhile she is married to the well-known Indonesian businessman Didik Soewandi and has two children. After leaving Citibank in 1989 high-ranking positions at P.T. Astra International, the leading producer of Automotives in Indonesiaor followed. The last one was commissioner at P.T. Semesta Citra Motorindo.

She started to collect experiences in the political world during her brief time as Economic Adviser to the then Minister of Finance and as Deputy Chairman of the Indonesian Banking Restructuring Agency (IBRA), shortly after the Indonesia’s economic crisis in 1997. Formerly the most famous female high level executive, it is now up to her, as Panjaitan’s successor, to solve the basic problems concerning trade issues, which Indonesian importers and exporters have to face, as well as issues of domestic trade and production.

Agum Gumelar, General TNI (retired)
Minister of Transportation

Agum was born in Tasikmalaya in West Java on 1 December 1945. He is married to Linda Achmad Tahir with whom he has two children. After leaving the Senior High School in Bandung in 1964 he started his career in the Army by joining the National Military Academy. He served in several military commands in different places, including the intelligence unit at the Special Forces and the Jakarta Military Command. He also was governor of the National Resilience Institute.

During the 1990ies he stepped forward in his political career as leader of Liga Amatir PSSI and leader of Liga of Indonesia. Under Gus Dur’s government Agum was Minister of Transportation and Telecommunication and finally Minister for Political, Social and Security Affairs. The retired general is famous for his stand up to Wahid and his rejection of Wahid’s order to impose a state of emergency. Now it is his second time as Minister of Transportation.  

Manuel Kaisiepo

State Minister for the Acceleration of the Development of Eastern Indonesia

 

Manuel Kaisiepo was born on the 25^th December, 1953 in Biak, Irian Jaya. He is married and has 3 children.

Manuel Kaisiepo attended the Faculty of Social and Political Science (International Relations Department) at the Gajah Mada University in Yogyakarta from 1973 until 1975. In 1979 he graduated from the Faculty of Social and Political Science of Universitas Nasional Jakarta.

He started out his career as a journalist and he is still nowadays a prolific writer on social and cultural issues for Indonesia’s largest newspaper, Kompas. He was also a researcher at the National Institute of Sciences (LIPI).

Already under Wahid he was the Junior Minister for the Acceleration of the Development of Eastern Indonesia from 2000 until 2001.

 

 

 

Faisal Tamin
State Minister for Administrative Reforms

Faisal was born on the 15^th of Juni in 1941 in Dompu, a place in the Southeast of Sumbawa Island. He finished his studies at the Faculty of Social, Economy and Politics at the National University of Jakarta.

The current State Minister for Administrative Reforms spent most of his professional career as a civil servant at the Ministry of Home Affairs from 1978 on. His last tenure at the Ministry was Secretary General of the General Elections Institute, which has been restructured in1999 and is currently named Committee for General Elections. He  is also a member of the People’s Consultative Assembly of the Indonesian Republic, meanwhile his involvement in various other organizations. 
In 1999 he became Chairman of the Central Organization of the Corps of State Officer of the Republic of Indonesia (KORPRI).

 

H Syamsul Muarif
State Minister for Communication and Information

Syamsul was born in Kandangan in the South of Kalimantan on 8. December 1948. He has six children and is married to Siti Zubaidah. He has been educated to be a religious teacher and obtained a Bachelor’s Degree from the State Academy of Islamic Studies in Banjarmasin. Until 1982 he worked as an Assistant Docent at the IAIN Antasari in Banjarmasin, where he had already studied.

Since 1980, when he became Secretary General of the KNPI, Syamsul is a fulltime politician. Nowadays, beside his post as Minister in Megawati’s cabinet, he is also Chairman of the Golkar faction in the House of Representatives. Shortly after the announcement of his appointment as State Minister for Communications and Information, he pledged that press freedom would not be restricted, but instead there shall be a push for implementation of a nationwide information dissemination program. Syamsul said he would continue to consider the media as a "partner to continue reforms".

 

 

Alimarwan Hanan

State Minister for Cooperatives and Small-Medium Enterprises

 

Alimarwan Hanan was born on the 12^th of March, 1947 in Uludanau, Ogan Komering Ulu, South Sumatra. He is married and has 1 child.

In 1984 he graduated from the Faculty of Law of the Sriwijaya University in Palembang.

Alimarwan Hanan started his political career as a member of the Association of Islamic Students (HMI) and the Indonesian National Youth Committee (KNPI).

He is a member of the House of Representatives and the vice chairman of provincial councilors of South Sumatra.

Since 1998 he has been the Secretary General of the United Development Party (PPP).

Nabiel Makarim
State Minister for the Environment

Nabiel was born in Solo SURAKARTA?, Central Java, in November 1948. He’s married with two children. He attended the Bandung Institute of Technologies School of Mining as well as the Swinburne College of Technology in Australia, in order to study Chemical Engineering. Furthermore he obtained a master’s degree in public administration and international trade from the Harvard University and a Master of Science in Management from the Sloan School of Management in 1986.

Nabiel is already acquainted with environmental issues, since he has been working at the Ministry of Development and Environmental Supervision. In 1989 he became an assistant to the Minister of the according Ministry. Before his latest appointment he has been Deputy Chairman of the Environmental Impact Management Agency (Bappedal). 

Ir. M Hatta Rajasa
State Minister for Research and Technology

The current Minister for Research and Technology was born in Palembang, in the South of Sumatra like Said Munawar. The date is the 18^th of December in 1953. He has got four children with his wife Oktiniwatti Ulfa Dariah. He studied at the Faculty of Mineral Technology in the Petroleum Department at the Bandung Institute of Technology from 1973 on. In 1977 he became Site Engineer at the P.T. Bina Patra Jaya Company in Jakarta, different more high-level positions in the Meta Epsi Drilling Company and the Arthindo Group followed. Later he returned to the Bandung Institute of Technology for Development Studies and for a post as Deputy Leader of the Organization of Petroleum Technical Students.

As a member of various organizations his political career has developed steadily beside his professional career. M Hatta is also Secretary General of the National Mandate Party and a member of the House of Representatives, where he has been occupied with his work in Commission VIII for environmental, science and technological affairs as well as his membership within the working group of the People’s Consultative Assembly before he became the new Minister of Research and Technology.   

Laksmana Sukardi

State Minister for Revenues and State Companies

 

Laksmana Sukardi was born on the 1^st October, 1956 in Jakarta. He is married and has 3 children.

Laksamana Sukardi graduated from the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Regional Planning at the Bandung Institute of Technology in 1979.

In 1981 he started his banking career at the Citibank. Later then he moved to Bank Umum Asia, where he was one of the architects behind the merger of Bank Umum Asia and Bank Lippo BPI in 1988, a merger, which resulted in the formation of Lippo-Bank. From 1988 until 1993 he worked as the managing director of the Lippo-Bank. After that he left Lippo-Bank to build up his own consulting firm ReForm Consult.

Laksmana Sukardi is the formerly chairman of the debt workout unit, the Jakarta Initiative Taskforce (JIRT). Since 1999 he has been a member of the House of Representatives in the fraction PDI – P, the party, where he is now the vice chairman. From 1999 on he was the minister for investment and state enterprises under Wahid, until he was dismissed in 2000, because Wahid reproached him with corruption. During the time, when he was minister under Wahid, he initiated legal action against businessmen who allegedly abused trillions of rupiah of loans from state banks.

Now he is a senior economic advisor to the President and his reappointment is expected to speed up the sales of state owned companies to help finance the state budget. This will satisfy the IMF’s insistence that the government speed up the process of disposing of state and bankrupt assets and enterprises.

Sri Redjeki Soemarjoto

State Minister for Women’s Empowerment Affairs

 

Sri Redjeki Soemarjoto was born on the 10^th October, 1950 in Solo, Middle Jawa. She is married and has 1 child.

Sri Redjeki Soemarjoto graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Indonesia in 1973.

Since 1977 she has been a member of the House of Representatives in the Fraction of the Golkar Party. Also for a long time she chaired the Department of Women’s Affaires in Golkar and was the chairwoman of the Association of Working Women, which is affiliated to Golkar.

From 1989 until 1991 she was a member of the Film Censorship Board (BSF).

Kwik Kian Gie
State Minister/Head of the National Development Planning Board

Born on the 11^th of January in 1935 in Juwana, Central Java, Kwik is father of three children now. He is married to Edit de Wit. He attended the Faculty of Economics at the University of Indonesia in 1956 and later got a degree from the Nederlandsche Economische Hogeschool in Rotterdam in1963 and became part of the local staff at the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague for two years. The State Minister who is also a well-known columnist, has worked for several financial and manufacturing companies during the seventies and eighties and is a founder of the Indonesian Business Institute (IBI).

Actually Kwik is no stranger to the political world of Indonesia. Chosen by Wahid as Coordinating Minister for the Economic, Finance and Industry in October 1999, he resigned shortly after his appointment. Furthermore he is a member of the Parliament and has been Deputy Chairman of Megawati’s Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle as well as Deputy Speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly.

 

Bambang Kesowo

State Secretary

Bambang Kesowo was born on the 27^th May, 1945 in Sragen, Middle Jawa. He is married and has 3 children.

Bambang Kesowo graduated from the Faculty of Law from the Gajah Mada University in Yogyakarta in 1968 and holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in business law from the Faculty of Law and Legislation Science of Harvard Law School, USA, from 1983.

He started his career as a civil servant at the State Secretariat in 1968, where his last position was the Chief of the Legal Bureau.

From 1993 until 1998 he was the Deputy Cabinet Secretary and therefore heavily involved in drafting government regulations and designing a number of national projects, including the controversial Timur National Car Project.

AM Hendropriyono, Lieutenant General TNI (retired)
National Intelligence Agency

AM was born in Yogyakarta on 7 May 1945. He joined the Army and left the National Military Academy in 1967 in order to start his military as well as his political career. He holds a Master of Social Politics, a Master of Law from the Military School of Law, a Master of Economics and a MBA of Management Business Administration from the University of the Philippines in Manila.
He also joined the School of Army Military Command in fort Leavenworth, USA