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Profile of House speaker, deputy speakers
The camp of president-elect Joko "Jokowi" Widodo runs short of one party to be able to nominate its candidate for the House of Representatives speaker and deputy speakers
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he camp of president-elect Joko"Jokowi" Widodo runs short of one party to be able to nominate itscandidate for the House of Representatives speaker and deputy speakers.Prabowo's camp sweeps the leadership post by confirming Golkar Party treasurerSetya Novanto as speaker, despite him being implicated in several graft cases.
Setya Novanto
Born in Bandung, West Java, 59 years ago, Setya made his name as a successful businessman long before he started his career as lawmaker in 1999. Having served as a Golkar legislator for four consecutive terms, the Golkar treasurer was appointed head of the party's House faction during the last legislative session.
In 1999, Setya was implicated in the Bank Bali scandal, which centered on the
transfer of Rp 546 billion (US$44.8 million) from that bank to PT Era Giat Prima
(EGP), a company he controlled, but a court quickly acquitted him of graft
charges.
The payment was described as a 'commission' for EGP's assistance in helping the
bank recoup Rp 946 billion in interbank claims from closed banks that had been
under the supervision of the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency.
More recently, Setya has been implicated in a number of graft cases handled by
the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), but his status in those cases
remained as a witness, although court testimonies have confirmed his roles in
those cases.
Setya, for example, was dragged into the case of former Constitutional Court
chief justice Akil Mochtar, who was sentenced to life in prison for receiving
bribes from a number of regional heads, after court evidence showed that Setya
might have acted as financial backer of East Java Governor Soekarwo to bribe
Akil in connection with the East Java gubernatorial election dispute being
handled by the court in 2013.
Setya and fellow Golkar lawmaker Kahar Muzakir have also been accused of
receiving Rp 9 billion from former Riau governor Rusli Zainal to help expedite
the disbursement of funds from the state budget for the Riau 2012 National
Games (PON).
In his inauguration speech, Setya responded to criticism directed at him by
offering a promise that he would make the House become more transparent and
responsive to public demands.
'I want to open up the House for the people who want to share their aspirations
according to existing mechanisms,' he said.
Fadli Zon
Fifteen years after a short stint as a member of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), Gerindra Party politician Fadli Zon, 43, has returned to the legislature this year after winning a House of Representatives seat from the fifth West Java electoral district in the April 9 legislative election.
Fadli, who also serves as Gerindra deputy chairman overseeing politics, legal, and defense and security affairs, is the only non-incumbent House leader, representing the country's third-largest political party.
Known as an influential student activist during his undergraduate years at the University of Indonesia, Fadli's political career was catapulted following his appointment as a member of the MPR's Functional Group (utusan golongan) faction representing youth between 1997 and 1999.
In the wake of reformasi, in 1998 Fadli cofounded the Crescent Star Party (PBB), but tendered his resignation three years later over 'irreconcilable differences'.
Fadli is one
of the closest aides to Gerindra patron and former Army's Special Forces
(Kopassus) commander Prabowo Subianto, whom he had met for the first time while
he was still a student at UI. In fact, it was Fadli who first suggested that
Prabowo ' a former Golkar politician ' form a new political party in late 2007,
less than two years before the 2009 legislative election.
Fahri Hamzah
Some politicians believe that they can win popularity by issuing controversial public statements. Outspoken Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) lawmaker Fahri Hamzah, who has served with the party since 2004, is clearly one of these politicians.
Fahri, for example, made headlines in 2011 after launching an unsuccessful campaign to dismiss the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). He argued that the antigraft body had become a 'superbody' that was hampering Indonesian democracy.
Last year, the former student activist reported the KPK to the National Police following the latter's move to seize luxury cars belonging to money-laundering convict and former PKS chairman Lutfhi Hasan Ishaaq, saying that the confiscation was not carried out with 'proper' procedures.
During the 2014 presidential race, Fahri created another stir when he wrote on his Twitter account that then presidential candidate Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo's proposal to name 1 Muharram (Islamic new year) a national santri (Islamic student) day was a sinting (crazy) idea.
Despite his penchant for controversy, Fahri managed to win the most votes in his electoral district in West Nusa Tenggara in the April 9 legislative election.
Fahri, who was inaugurated as House deputy speaker just a week shy of his 43rd birthday, is also the youngest politician in the current House leadership.
Fahri is among the confidants of PKS patron Hilmi Aminuddin.
Taufik Kurniawan
Born in Semarang, Central Java, 46 years ago, Taufik Kurniawan began his political career with the 16-year-old National Mandate Party (PAN) as a rank-and-file party cadre.
Before being appointed PAN secretary-general by chairman Hatta Rajasa in 2010, Taufik was leader of the party's branch in Semarang's Gajah Mungkur district, later serving as the secretary of the party's Central Java chapter.
In March 2010, the father of two was inaugurated as House deputy speaker to replace senior PAN politician Marwoto Mitrohardjono, who died of heart attack two months prior.
Under Hatta-Taufik leadership, PAN secured 48 seats in the 2014 legislative election, a slight increase from the 46 seats won in the previous election.
Boasting a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Semarang-based Diponegoro University, Taufik, who has served as in the House since 2004, is a veteran of the House Commission V overseeing transport, telecommunications, public works, public housing, village development and disadvantaged areas. He won reelection this year after securing 59,495 votes from the seventh Central Java electoral district.
On his personal website, Taufik has declared his commitment to agricultural issues.
'As a lawmaker, my objectives are to see the end of rice imports, to support the government to develop environmentally-friendly technology and to scrap the government subsidy for overseas farmers,' he said.
Agus Hermanto
Democratic Party (PD) lawmaker and newly inaugurated House deputy speaker Agus Hermanto, 58, is the rare civil servant to make the leap from bureaucracy to politics.
Agus is no stranger to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, as he is the younger brother of former PD chairman Hadi Utomo, who is Yudhoyono's brother-in-law.
In 2004, after 15 years of service with the Industry Ministry and the Trade Ministry, Agus decided to run as a legislative candidate for the newly established Democratic Party and has since served three consecutive terms.
The son of a schoolteacher from Semarang, Central Java, Agus held several executive positions with the party before President Yudhoyono, the party's chairman and chief patron, appointed him in 2013 as a PD deputy chairman, along with lawmakers Max Sopacua and Nurhayati Ali Assegaf, former lawmaker Jhonny Allen Marbun, and East Java Governor Soekarwo.
Prior to his new job as deputy speaker, the father of four was a long-time member of House Commission VI overseeing trade, industry, investment, cooperatives, small and medium businesses and state-owned companies. In 2010, he was appointed chairman of House Commission X overseeing education, youth affairs, sports, tourism, art and culture.
