Ridwan Kamil was the mayor of Bandung from 2013 to 2018.
23 Facts About Ridwan Kamil
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Ridwan Kamil then continued his tertiary education at the Bandung Institute of Technology and graduated in 1995 with a Bachelor of Engineering degree in architecture.
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Ridwan Kamil's death was the subject of much attention in Indonesia: his funeral in Bandung was attended by thousands and broadcast live on state TV.
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Ridwan Kamil spent almost his entire life in Bandung where he went to public schools and studied architecture at Indonesia's leading state engineering school, the Bandung Institute of Technology.
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Ridwan Kamil graduated in 2001 with a Master of Urban Design degree and work experience at a Berkeley government department.
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Ridwan Kamil obtained Doctor in Public Administration degree from Dong-a University in 2019 for his role in developing dynamic governance system for West Java Province.
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Ridwan Kamil was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Glasgow in 2024.
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Ridwan Kamil introduced modern designs into his work that ranges from commercial buildings and university towers to museums and mosques.
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Ridwan Kamil is known for creating open public spaces in crowded residential areas in Bandung as his pro bono work.
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In 2006, Ridwan Kamil was the winner of the British Council's Young Creative Entrepreneur Award, representing Indonesia in the International Young Design Entrepreneur of the Year award.
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Ridwan Kamil was the pioneer of the 'Indonesia Berkebun' movement to build amateur gardens in the cities of Indonesia.
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Ridwan Kamil stepped into politics ahead of the 2013 Bandung mayoral election as a surprise candidate endorsed by the Islamist Prosperous Justice Party and the nationalist Great Indonesia Movement Party, two rising parties from different ends of Indonesia's political spectrum that united to reform the city and prevent the position to go into the hands of the big parties at that time.
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Similar to the 2013 experience, Ridwan Kamil received endorsements from smaller parties, including the Islamist United Development Party that provided him a running mate, Tasikmalaya Regent Uu Ruzhanul Ulum.
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Ridwan Kamil agreed to this arrangement, realizing he was popular among media-savvy urban voters, especially around Bandung, but weak among those who live in rural areas like Tasikmalaya.
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Ridwan Kamil will be officially announced as a gubernatorial candidate in the near future along with the deputy gubernatorial candidate who is still in the process of being selected by the coalition.
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Ridwan Kamil gained a wide support within the Advanced Indonesia Coalition and outside of the coalition.
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In one of his speech, Ridwan Kamil claimed that he have given a 1 trillion rupiah grant to Nahdlatul Ulama, one of the biggest Sunni Islam movement in indonesia.
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Ridwan Kamil explained to Nahdlatul Ulama that the financials of the grant could be held accountable, and the government of West Java has correctly been giving 1 trillion rupiahs for the past 4 years for the need of the students of pesantrens affiliated with Nahdlatul Ulama.
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In 2022, Ridwan Kamil is planning to build a mosque in Depok area to accommodate locals that are looking for mosque after going home after work.
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In February 2022, Ridwan Kamil ordered that the school is demolished and the school is removed from the list of active schools in West Java.
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On 18 January 2022, Ridwan Kamil announced his intention to run as presidential candidate.
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In late December 2022, Reports emerged that Ridwan Kamil is close to joining a political party with speculations that the move is part of his continued efforts to enter the presidential race.
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Ridwan Kamil made some cameo appearances in several TV and movie productions, particularly the ones that are set in Bandung.