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| Aburizal Bakrie | |
|---|---|
| Name | Aburizal Bakrie |
| Birth date | 1946-02-15 |
| Birth place | Jakarta, Indonesia |
| Nationality | Indonesian |
| Occupation | Businessman, Politician |
| Alma mater | Bandung Institute of Technology |
| Party | Golkar |
| Spouse | Atiqah Hasiholan |
Aburizal Bakrie is an Indonesian businessman and politician who served as chairman of Golkar and held ministerial positions in cabinets led by Megawati Sukarnoputri and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. A scion of the Bakrie family conglomerate, he has been influential in sectors including mining, telecommunications, media of Indonesia, and plantation. His public profile spans corporate leadership at Bakrie Group, high-level political appointments such as Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare and Coordinating Minister for Economy, and involvement in high-profile infrastructure projects and legal disputes.
Born in Jakarta on 15 February 1946 into the Bakrie family, he is the son of Achmad Bakrie lineage tied to the founding of Bakrie Group. He attended secondary school in Jakarta before studying engineering at the Bandung Institute of Technology, where he graduated with a degree in industrial engineering. During his student years he encountered contemporaries from institutions including University of Indonesia and Gadjah Mada University, and his early network included future figures in Indonesian politics and business.
He joined the family conglomerate, Bakrie Group, in the 1970s and rose through management to hold executive roles across subsidiaries such as PT Bakrie & Brothers and PT Bakrie Sumatera Plantations Tbk. Under his influence, the group diversified into mining with interests in PT Bumi Resources Tbk, into telecommunications through ties with carriers and infrastructure firms, and into media of Indonesia via ownership of outlets linked to broadcasting and print. The conglomerate engaged with state-owned enterprises including Pertamina and Perusahaan Listrik Negara on energy and power projects, and negotiated with international partners such as Freeport-McMoRan and investors from Japan and Singapore for joint ventures. His tenure saw expansion into construction projects, participation in public–private partnerships with provincial administrations like Jakarta Special Capital Region and coordination with ministries such as Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (Indonesia) on infrastructure tenders. Financial strategies involved relationships with banking institutions like Bank Central Asia and Bank Mandiri and capital market activities on Indonesia Stock Exchange listings.
He entered formal politics through the Golkar party, which traces its origins to the New Order (Indonesia) period under Suharto. He served in ministerial roles in cabinets including the Mutual Assistance Cabinet context and later under presidents Megawati Sukarnoputri and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, holding positions such as Coordinating Minister for Economy and Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare. As chairman of Golkar, he led the party during the 2009 and 2014 electoral cycles, competing against figures like Joko Widodo, Prabowo Subianto, and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono factional actors. His political activity involved alliances with parties including Democratic Party and United Development Party in coalition negotiations, participation in the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) processes, and engagement with legislative bodies such as the House of Representatives (Indonesia). He also represented Indonesia in international forums with counterparts from ASEAN and interlocutors from United States and China on trade and investment.
His career has been marked by controversies linked to corporate governance at Bumi Resources and environmental disputes over assets in Kalimantan and Sumatra involving plantation and mining concessions. The Bakrie conglomerate faced scrutiny over the Lapindo Mudflow disaster, which drew involvement from judicial institutions like the Indonesian Supreme Court and regulatory bodies including the Corruption Eradication Commission in related inquiries. Financial distress at listed subsidiaries prompted investigations by the Indonesia Stock Exchange and auditor reviews by firms with ties to international accounting networks. Political opponents and civil society organizations such as Walhi criticized environmental practices and land acquisition processes, leading to litigation in district courts and administrative disputes before provincial governments. High-profile disputes included shareholder conflicts in Bumi Resources that engaged international investors and arbitration proceedings across jurisdictions.
He is married and part of an extended family that includes prominent figures in business and media; family connections link to personalities active in Indonesian corporate boards and cultural institutions. His children have held roles in various subsidiaries and associated companies, participating in governance bodies and philanthropic activities through foundations interacting with entities like Tbk-listed firms and social organizations. He maintains residences in Jakarta and has been involved in patronage of cultural events connected to institutions such as Garuda Indonesia sponsorships and private museum initiatives.
His legacy encompasses the expansion of the Bakrie conglomerate into diversified sectors, influence over Golkar's post-New Order trajectory, and a profile that illustrates intersections between Indonesian business elites and political institutions. Analysts from think tanks and universities including Centre for Strategic and International Studies (Indonesia) and scholars at University of Indonesia assess his role in corporate consolidation, political patronage networks, and the shaping of policy on mining and infrastructure. Debates about accountability, corporate social responsibility, and legal reform cite cases associated with his enterprises as catalysts for regulatory changes in ministries such as Ministry of Environment and Forestry (Indonesia) and financial sector oversight improvements at Otoritas Jasa Keuangan. His career remains a reference point in discussions of elite business–political dynamics in contemporary Indonesian public life.
Category:Indonesian businesspeople Category:Indonesian politicians Category:1946 births Category:Living people