19 Facts About Aburizal Bakrie

Aburizal Bakrie was born on 15 November 1946 and is an Indonesian politician and a prominent businessman, widely recognized for his success with the Bakrie Group conglomerate.

From 2004 to 2005, Bakrie served as Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for the Economy.

Aburizal Bakrie then held the position of Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare from 2005 to 2009.

Aburizal Bakrie served as the Chairman of the Golkar Party from 2009 to late 2014 and resumed the chairmanship in May 2015.

Aburizal Bakrie is widely known for his company's involvement in the Sidoarjo mudflow disaster, which has been linked to Energi Mega Persada.

Aburizal Bakrie was born on 15 November 1946 in Jakarta.

Aburizal Bakrie attended the Bandung Institute of Technology, where he earned a degree in electrical engineering in 1973.

Aburizal Bakrie thrived alongside Indonesia's economy during the Soeharto presidency.

The Aburizal Bakrie Group operates in various sectors, including agriculture, real estate, trade, shipping, banking, insurance, media, manufacturing, construction, and mining.

From 1991 to 1995, Aburizal Bakrie served two consecutive terms as the President of the ASEAN Business Forum.

Aburizal Bakrie advocated for a gradual increase in fuel prices to prevent the subsidies from overwhelming the national budget and to align domestic fuel costs with international levels.

The previous year, Aburizal Bakrie had pledged that the new government was committed to resolving the Cepu dispute and other conflicts involving international companies.

In 2009, Aburizal Bakrie was elected Chairman of the Golkar Party during the Golkar Party Congress held in Pekanbaru, Riau, Indonesia, defeating Surya Paloh, Yuddy Chrisnandi, and Hutomo Mandala Putra.

Aburizal Bakrie's name has been associated with the Sidoarjo mudflow, which erupted on 29 May 2006 in Sidoarjo, East Java, causing severe environmental devastation and loss of life.

However, another group, along with the government, has confirmed that the drilling practices of PT Lapindo Brantas, a company in which Aburizal Bakrie's family held a controlling stake, were responsible for triggering the mudflow.

Since then, Aburizal Bakrie has repeatedly expressed his desire to be nominated as Golkar's candidate.

Aburizal Bakrie responded by dismissing the criticism as "political attacks," with The Jakarta Post describing him as "shrugging off" the objections.

On 30 June 2012, at Golkar's Leadership Meeting in Bogor, Aburizal Bakrie was declared the party's presidential candidate for the 2014 election.

Recent opinion polls show Aburizal Bakrie trailing behind other presidential hopefuls, including former general Prabowo Subianto, Chief Patron of the Great Indonesia Movement Party, and former President Megawati Sukarnoputri, the daughter of Indonesia's first President, Sukarno.