Muhammad Amien Rais was born on 26 April 1944 and is an Indonesian politician.
23 Facts About Amien Rais
2.
Amien Rais was one of the leaders of the reform movement that forced the resignation of President Suharto in 1998.
3.
Amien Rais was the leader of Muhammadiyah, one of the two biggest Muslim organizations in Indonesia, from 1995 to 2000.
4.
Amien Rais was the Chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly from 1999 to 2004.
5.
Amien Rais was born in Surakarta, Central Java, as the second child of Suhud Rais and Sudalmiyah.
6.
Amien Rais was a member of Muhammadiyah's Board of Education in the Surakarta chapter.
7.
Amien Rais graduated from Muhammadiyah's teaching school 'Hogere Indlansche Kweekschool'.
8.
Amien Rais was a member of Masyumi party in the 1950s.
9.
Amien Rais was awarded 'The Central Java Best Mother' in 1985.
10.
Controversially, Rais learned a lot about human rights and democracy in the US.
11.
Later in 1990, Amien Rais was vice chairman elected in a convention in Yogyakarta.
12.
Amien Rais was active in the newly established Indonesian Association of Muslim Intellectuals, a Muslim scholars association.
13.
Amien Rais led ICMI's Expert Council, but resigned in 1997 under pressure from Suharto because he argued on the Busang and the Freeport cases.
14.
In 1995, Amien Rais replaced Azhar Basyir, then the chairman of Muhammadiyah, who died soon after his re-election.
15.
In 1993, at a Muhammadiyah mid-term meeting in Surabaya, Amien Rais urged a presidential succession, a very rare issue amid the New Order regime.
16.
The political and economical decay in Indonesia during the 90s had Amien Rais call for a controversial issue: political reform.
17.
Amien Rais' calls were one of the many catalysts that led to the eventual downfall of the New Order regime.
18.
In 1998, Amien Rais became an outspoken critic, and allied himself with the reform movement.
19.
Amien Rais was elected its first chairman with Faisal Basri as secretary general.
20.
Amien Rais was a leading figure in the Indonesian constitution amendment process.
21.
Amien Rais ran and lost in the 2004 presidential election.
22.
Amien Rais is currently the Chairman of PAN's Advisory Board, Muhammadiyah's Advisory Board, and is a professor at Gadjah Mada University.
23.
Amien Rais admitted that he had received the funds but then accused the Corruption Eradication Commission of being an incompetent organization.