31 Facts About Fadli Zon

Fadli Zon was born on 1 June 1971 and is an Indonesian politician and historian currently serving as Minister for Cultural Affairs.

Fadli Zon was one of the founders of Prabowo Subianto's Gerindra Party, where he is vice chairman.

Later, Fadli Zon studied Russian literature at the University of Indonesia.

Fadli Zon was active in various organizations, both on and off campus.

Fadli Zon chaired the Student Senate Education Bureau of the University of Indonesia's Faculty of Letters from 1992 to 1993.

Fadli Zon was General Secretary of the FSUI Student Senate and chaired the Student Senate Committee on External Relations.

Fadli Zon was a member of the university's Literary Theater.

Fadli Zon was on the central committee of the Indonesian National Youth Committee from 1996 to 1999, as well as the central committee of the Islamic Youth Movement, and was a member of the Asian Conference on Religion and Peace in 1996.

In 1994, Fadli Zon was named Mawapres I of the University of Indonesia and Student Achievement III at the national level.

Fadli Zon had been invited to contribute to the publications by journalist Dzikrullah W Pramudya, one of his former high school classmates.

In November 2007, Fadli Zon met businessman Hashim Djojohadikusumo, the younger brother of Prabowo Subianto.

Fadli Zon himself did not gain a seat, receiving 11,077 votes in West Sumatra's electoral district 2, where the seat-winner received 21,348 votes.

Fadli Zon has led delegations of Indonesian legislators at various international, regional and bilateral forums.

Fadli Zon was reelected for a third term in the 2024 general election with 149,258 votes.

Fadli Zon frequently criticized Widodo's policies, from a ban on ministerial-level officials to speak in parliament, an alleged lese-majeste case against a satay seller, to the revocation of national fuel subsidies.

In December 2015, when Setya Novanto resigned from his position as House speaker upon facing a corruption charge related to Freeport-McMoRan, Fadli Zon briefly took up the speaker's position until Golkar assigned Ade Komaruddin as a replacement.

Fadli Zon had sent a letter to the Corruption Eradication Commission in 2017, asking it to suspend its criminal investigation into Setya Novanto, who was later tried and jailed for corruption.

Fadli Zon said he sent the letter in his capacity as a member of the public and not as a deputy House speaker.

On 30 March 2018, in the run-up to Indonesia's 2019 presidential election, Fadli Zon posted on Twitter that Indomesia needed a leader like Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Between 1999 and 2007, Fadli Zon was on the boards of directors of several energy and agricultural companies.

Fadli Zon was director of business development for PT Tidar Kerinci Agung, which operates in the palm oil sector.

Fadli Zon was director of rice company PT Padi Nusantara.

Fadli Zon was a director general of Golden Spike Energy Indonesia Ltd, a private oil and gas company.

Fadli Zon's sentiments were recorded in an interview conducted by Margot Cohen of Far Eastern Economic Review, published in February 1998:.

Fadli Zon is a strident opponent of former Jakarta governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama, who is of ethnic Chinese descent.

Ahok's stance resulted in Fadli Zon declaring Gerindra would not support him when he sought re-election in 2017.

In 2016, Fadli Zon joined a 4 November rally demanding Ahok be jailed for alleged blasphemy against Islam.

Fadli Zon is the Vice Chair of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption and Vice President of the League of Parliamentarians for Al Quds, and Chair of Southeast Asian Parliamentarians Against Corruption.

Fadli Zon is chairman of the Islamic Cultural Arts Association, the oldest Islamic cultural arts organization in Indonesia.

Fadli Zon has received 30 MURI records for his collections and other cultural activities.

Fadli Zon is married to Katharine Grace, a banker, and they have two daughters.